A Research on the Relation between Cultural Intelligence Levels of Expatriates and Expatriate Effectiveness

Abstract

Expatriate effectiveness and its components appear as a subject that has been studied by many researchers in the international human resources literature. Cultural intelligence is also seen as another important issue that enables researchers to understand the differentiation between individuals in terms of intercultural harmony and holding on in an unfamiliar environment. In this study, it was aimed to determine whether there is a relationship between cultural intelligence and foreign manager effectiveness. It is thought that examining these two important issues together will contribute to the literature. This research was designed and conducted to examine the relation between cultural intelligence and expatiate effectiveness. In order to analyze the hypotheses that are gathered from the literature, a scale with 37 items was used. The data was collected from 168 participants via convenience sampling method from several countries via questionnaires. In the model of this research, cultural intelligence is an independent variable, expatriate effectiveness is a dependent variable. The analysis of the results showed that cultural intelligence has positive effects on expatriate effectiveness. The expatriate with a high level of cultural intelligence is interested in the culture of the host country to which he/she is sent for duty, he can see the differences between his own culture and this different culture, he is willing to learn this different culture and adapts to the culture of the host country. The expatriate with a high level of cultural intelligence learns the behavioral patterns that are deemed appropriate by the culture of the host country and acts according to these patterns. Thus, interaction takes place between the expatriate and the employees who are citizens of the host country.