Cultural Intelligence Development: Types of Change and the Role of Intercultural Experience

Increasing globalization and cultural diversity have accentuated the importance of developing cultural intelligence (CQ). Many studies examined CQ development, which has been typically operationalized as a change in mean CQ over time. However, inconsistent results paint an unclear picture of whether CQ can be developed. Synergizing research on the types of change in individual capabilities with research on stages of CQ development, this work posits that in addition to the quantitative change in mean CQ, individuals could also experience a reconceptualization of CQ and recalibration of CQ measures as part of the CQ development process. Failing to examine the presence of reconceptualization and recalibration in studies of CQ development could lead to Type II error, inconsistent findings, and create a threat to the substantive interpretation of research results. Moreover, this work posits that individuals with different levels of intercultural experience may experience different types of change at different stages of the CQ development process. This work demonstrates different types of change and the role of intercultural experience in a pretest-posttest study of CQ development among participants of an international business course. Methods for assessing different types of change in CQ development are discussed with implications for improving management learning and education research and practice.