Do you really understand me? An analysis of cultural intelligence in global projects

Abstract

Modern global leaders must be culturally intelligent to effectively operate in complex multicultural environments. While there is significant literature in place regarding cultural intelligence in global project management, there are several areas where our understanding remains limited. First, there is a lack of knowledge relating to the antecedents of cultural intelligence. Second, there is a lack of empirical studies capturing real-world data from industry relating to cultural intelligence in global projects. Third, it is unclear what correlation, if any, there is between leaders’ characteristics and their level of cultural intelligence. To address these deficits, this study aims to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) for cultural intelligence in intercultural communication in the context of global projects and investigate the relationships between leader’s characteristics and their level of cultural intelligence. Data were collected and analyzed from 85 project leaders currently working in a global multinational corporation (MNC) in Europe, Middle East, and Asia (EMEA). The findings confirm that emotional intelligence, personality, and openness to learning, communication and empathy are key to cultural intelligence in complex multicultural environments. The results advance our understanding of the antecedents to cultural intelligence and present actionable insights for companies.