How does Cultural Intelligence Influence Teamwork Capability? The Role of Leader Emergence and Relational Identification

Abstract

Prior studies have recognized cultural intelligence (CQ) as an essential trait for addressing cultural diversity issues. However, the influence of cultural intelligence on teamwork capability still needs to be addressed. This study analyzes how cultural intelligence, leader emergence, and relational identification affect teamwork capabilities. The mediating effect of leader emergence and relationship identification is also investigated. The questionnaire is created and distributed using an online questionnaire platform (Survey Cake). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is used to collect and analyze data from 54 groups, including 221 respondents. The findings show that teamwork capability is significantly improved by cultural intelligence, leader emergence, and relational identification. Furthermore, leader emergence and relational identification have partially mediated the relationship between cultural intelligence and teamwork capability. Future studies are encouraged to replicate this study with a larger sample size because this study has a limited sample size. This study carries significant implications, not solely in terms of providing practitioners with accurate and lucid perspectives on the indispensability of possessing a substantial level of cultural intelligence in multicultural contexts, but also in assisting organizations or corporations to attain elevated levels of cultural intelligence, relational identification, leader emergence, and teamwork capability. Subsequently, this study offers theoretical contributions to the existing body of knowledge by examining and presenting a significant structural equation model of the relationship between cultural intelligence and teamwork capability with leader emergence and relational identification as the mediator. The results of this study provide individuals with pertinent and unambiguous perspectives on the significance of cultural intelligence in a multicultural setting.