Optimizing cultural intelligence development by considering different types of change

Abstract

Increasing globalization and cultural diversity have accentuated the importance of developing cross-cultural competencies like cultural intelligence (CQ). Typically, scholars and professionals have viewed and operationalized CQ development as a quantitative change in mean CQ scores over time. This work argues that research and practice will benefit from expanding the operationalization of CQ development to include CQ reconceptualization and CQ measurement recalibration because these types of change are also integral to the CQ development process. This work highlights that by not examining the presence of CQ reconceptualization and CQ measurement recalibration before examining changes in mean CQ scores over time, scholars and practitioners could fail to recognize the presence of CQ development when it happens, create a threat to the substantive interpretation offindings, and further contribute to the inconsistent and conflicting research results. Methodologies for assessing different types of change in CQ development are discussed with implications for improving cross-cultural competence research and practice. The main contribution of this work lies in providing ways for improving the rigor of CQ development studies to enhance the quality of CQ development research and practice.