Cultural intelligence: a proxy for wisdom in intercultural exchanges

Abstract

The efficacy of intercultural exchanges can be measured by an individual‟s cross-cultural competency. This research examines the relationships between Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and intercultural negotiation outcomes relative to the onset of wisdom. In particular, the properties of cultural intelligence and intercultural negotiation outcomes are examined relative to other measures such as an individual‟s age, education, and professional experience. To test the hypotheses, the CQS and a self-report survey of actual intercultural negotiation exchanges was administered to 102 experienced international business negotiators from Taiwan. A cross-sectional research method incorporated a sequential survey design and subsequent analysis was conducted using hierarchical regression analysis. Results indicated that CQ explained a significant amount of variation in intercultural outcomes at certain stages of a professional‟s career. The results provided support that aggregate CQ predicts intercultural outcomes during the early and mid-stages of a professional‟s career, and then tapers. Together, the findings suggest that an individual‟s CQ can be used as a proxy for intercultural competency, until wisdom manifests itself and that participation in cross-cultural competency training programs may accelerate their effectiveness.