Brains over brawn? Brown bears (Ursus arctos) demonstrate behavioral flexibility on a multi-access box and other tasks.

Impact of task-driven blended learning on cultural intelligence and intercultural communication competence in nursing students: A quasi-experimental study.

Personality development plays an essential role in shaping cross-cultural competences, with the emotional-motivational aspect being crucial. To assess cross-cultural competences and cultural intelligence among nurses in Poland and to examine their associations with personality traits. A nationwide, cross-sectional mixed-mode survey conducted between 2022 and 2024 among 606 nurses from all Polish voivodeships. Standardized tools were used: Cross-Cultural Competence Inventory (CCCI), Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS), and NEO-FFI Personality Inventory. Descriptively, the mean item score was 3.72 for cross-cultural competence and 3.65 for cultural intelligence. Descriptively, CCCI subscale mean item scores ranged from 2.61 for "tolerance" to 4.54 for "mission". Extraversion, agreeableness, openness, and conscientiousness were positively associated with cross-cultural competence, whereas neuroticism was negatively associated with it. No significant link. The findings describe cross-cultural competence and cultural intelligence scores among Polish nurses and show significant associations with selected personality traits. Not registered.

Cultural intelligence in pharmacy education: A mixed-methods exploration of student pharmacists' lived experiences and cultural intelligence development.

In today's multiethnic schools, promoting youth connectedness and well-being requires equipping students with the skills to navigate cultural diversity. Cultural intelligence (CQ), defined as the ability to interact effectively across diverse cultural contexts, is a key asset in this regard. This study explored whether the Italian adaptation of the Identity Project, an 8-week school-based intervention originally designed to support ethnic-racial identity development, could also enhance adolescents' CQ as a secondary outcome. A total of 594 adolescents (Mage = 14.2 years, 51.9% girls, 38.6% immigrant background) from three high schools in northeastern Italy participated in a randomized controlled trial at the classroom level. Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed four CQ dimensions: motivational, cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioral. Post-intervention focus groups further explored students' subjective experiences across the sessions to provide contextual information and complement the quantitative findings. At posttest, students in the intervention group reported significantly higher metacognitive CQ compared to controls. Motivational CQ also increased, but only among youth without an immigrant background. No significant effects emerged for cognitive or behavioral CQ. Thematic analysis of focus group data reflected this pattern, with adolescents describing more cultural awareness and interest in learning about other cultures. Albeit preliminary, these findings suggest that identity-focused interventions like the Identity Project may yield small changes in the metacognitive dimension of CQ, with subgroup-specific patterns for motivational CQ. Replication is needed to determine whether such small effects translate into secondary benefits for youth intercultural competence in diverse school settings.

This paper explores liminal sexual and gendered subjectivities and identities – in particular bisexuality, transgenderism, and intersexuality – with an attention to the intersections of race, culture, and class. It argues that the potential space of psychoanalysis should work to make room for forms of subjectivity that defy identity, and which often fall through the cracks of cultural intelligibility. It challenges psychoanalysts to tolerate ambiguity; to allow sexuality and gender to at once orient and disorient. It addresses the problem of identity itself, arguing that good psychoanalytic practice at once acknowledges the limitations of identity and accepts that its formation is critical to helping people make sense of their own complexity. It argues that queer theory should be a necessary part of psychoanalytic education. And finally, it offers numerous clinical examples, including an extended case study of a patient who struggles with the biological ambiguity of his sexed body and with the difficulty of finding the language to make sense of it.

Background: Although research on cultural intelligence remains limited, interest in the topic has grown significantly in recent years. Since cultural diversity and cultural understanding play important roles in innovation, cultural intelligence is increasingly recognized as a critical factor for organizational competitiveness. A key challenge related to cultural intelligence (CQ) lies in the gap between increasing workplace cultural diversity and organizations’ limited capability to manage it effectively. This lack of CQ hinders collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation performance, preventing organizations from fully leveraging diversity for competitive advantage.Purpose: This study aims to analyze the theoretical and practical influence of cultural intelligence on innovation, particularly within the service industry.Design/Methodology/Approach: A qualitative approach was employed through a systematic review of 42 Scopus-indexed journal articles, involving the identification, evaluation, and interpretation of relevant studies. The findings from the review were further enriched with quantitative insights drawn from exploratory interviews with eight industry practitioners, analyzed using a simple scoring approach.Findings/Results: The results reveal that only 30.6% of the CQ practices identified in the literature were found to be implemented by the surveyed companies. Moreover, the study identifies emerging variables in cultural intelligence development, including the creation of a harmonious and flexible work environment between senior and junior employees, competitive advantage, alignment of organizational culture with business strategy, and customer demand generation.Conclusions: The findings suggest that companies should better leverage their available resources to enhance cultural intelligence, thereby fostering greater innovation capacity. Key actors, including top management, HR professionals, team leaders, and employees, play essential roles in developing and implementing cultural intelligence. Each contributes strategically to embedding CQ through leadership, talent management, training, and collaborative practices that enhance innovation and competitiveness.Originality/Value (Sate of the Art): This research contributes to the literature by integrating systematic review with industrial practice analysis, highlighting underexplored cultural intelligence variables and offering state-of-the-art insights into how cultural intelligence can be leveraged to strengthen innovation in the service sector. Keywords: cultural intelligence, innovation, systematic review, service industry, organizational culture

This study examines how culturally immersive stimuli, defined as content rich in culturally specific cues, are associated with motivational cultural intelligence (CQ), global identity, and consumer attitudes. It further investigates whether branded and unbranded stimuli are associated with differences in attitudes toward global brands (ATGB). Across two experiments, exposure to culturally immersive content was associated with higher levels of motivational CQ, with no corresponding effects observed for metacognitive, cognitive, or behavioral CQ. In Study 1, within-subject analyses show that higher levels of motivational CQ following stimulus exposure are accompanied by higher levels of global identity. Additional analyses indicate that these constructs are positively related but empirically distinct and not tightly coupled. In Study 2, participants exposed to branded stimuli reported more favorable ATGB relative to a no-stimulus control condition, whereas no comparable effect was observed for unbranded stimuli. The findings suggest that motivational CQ is a context-sensitive construct responsive to culturally immersive stimuli, and that branding serves as an important contextual factor associated with differences in consumer evaluations. Practically, the results indicate that culturally immersive content may be used to shape intercultural engagement and consumer responses to global brands.

Understanding how African students behave is fundamental in the study of human behaviour as many of the researchers have relied heavily on the theories from the global north with little from the south. In a culturally diverse continent like Africa, one prevalent social issue is ethnocentrism among its citizens. This study investigated cultural intelligence and ambiguity tolerance as predictors of ethnocentrism among a sample of undergraduate students. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted for a total of 250 respondents, comprising of 122 females and 128 males from the three major ethnic groups, who were selected from 3 geopolitical zones in Nigeria for the study. The research results showed that tolerance for ambiguity negatively predicted ethnocentrism in the study sample (β=-.258, P<0.05), which indicated that individuals with a high level of tolerance for ambiguity are less likely to be ethnocentric. Research findings also showed that cultural intelligence negatively predicted ethnocentrism (β=-.210, P<0.05), thereby indicating that individuals with high levels of cultural intelligence are less likely to be ethnocentric. There was no significant difference in ethnocentrism across ethnic groups, F (3,346) = .608, p>0.05. Males and females did not significantly differ in levels of cultural intelligence, t (248) =.071, p>0.05. The study concluded that there must be a behavioural renaissance in Africa where researchers are interested in the pursuit of developing Africa by fostering creativity and building critical skills rather than focus on getting their qualifications.

ABSTRACT Information technology organisations increasingly rely on culturally diverse talent to sustain innovation, yet the mechanisms linking diversity to innovative work behaviour remain unclear. This study investigates the influence of cultural intelligence on innovative work behaviour among information technology professionals, considering the mediating roles of psychological safety, knowledge sharing behaviour, and organisational climate for diversity. Data from 620 employees in the Indian information technology sector were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences to test the hypothesised relationships. The findings show that cultural intelligence directly influences innovative work behaviour and indirectly affects it through knowledge sharing behaviour and organisational climate for diversity. Psychological safety showed no direct effect on innovative work behaviour but influenced it indirectly through knowledge sharing behaviour, indicating full mediation. Additionally, a significant sequential serial mediation was observed where cultural intelligence enhances psychological safety, which promotes knowledge sharing behaviour, leading to innovative work behaviour. The study contributes to the literature by introducing organisational climate for diversity as a novel mediator and offers practical insights for creating inclusive and collaborative workplaces that enhance innovation. The findings also support the Sustainable Development Goals related to decent work, economic growth, and industry innovation.

This study investigates the function of middle managers in subsidiaries of foreign multinational firms within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Utilizing agency theory, the resource-based approach, and institutional theory, we investigate the impact of strategic involvement, decision-making autonomy, and cultural intelligence on subsidiary performance, as well as the moderating effects of geographic and national cultural distance on these relationships. Data were gathered through a standardized survey administered to 404 middle managers in several businesses. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis reveals robust evidence for all proposed relationships: each managerial capability significantly enhances internationalization success, with these impacts intensified in geographically and culturally distant environments. The results show how important middle managers are to the company’s strategy by connecting headquarters and subsidiaries, adapting strategies to local conditions, and using their cross-cultural skills. This study aids to the body of knowledge on international business by combining managerial skills with contextual distance variables and focusing on the MENA region, which hasn’t been studied enough cultural intelligence is important for making multinational companies work better in difficult and faraway places, as shown by their real-world effects.

Drawing on stewardship theory, we propose a serial mediation model in which diversity climate enhances attitudes toward internationalization through the sequential effects of expatriate adjustment and cultural intelligence. Furthermore, we investigate the moderating role of risk propensity in strengthening the relationship between cultural intelligence and internationalization attitudes. Using time-lagged data from 221 expatriate managers in the UAE, we assessed hypotheses through structural equation modeling. The results indicate that diversity climate positively influences internationalization attitudes, with expatriate adjustment and cultural intelligence serving as sequential mediators. Additionally, risk propensity positively moderates the relationship between cultural intelligence and internationalization. Our findings contribute to the expatriate management literature by uncovering the psychological and organizational mechanisms linking workplace diversity to the development of a global mindset. Practical implications suggest that fostering inclusive environments and enhancing cultural learning can promote internationalization readiness, particularly for risk-inclined expatriates.

International students from high cultural-distance backgrounds face unique adaptation challenges, yet research has predominantly examined these challenges using variable-centered approaches that assume population homogeneity. This study adopts a person-centered approach to identify distinct latent profiles among African international students in China based on identity recognition, social avoidance, cultural intelligence, and perceived discrimination, and examines how these profiles differ in cross-cultural adaptation outcomes. A mixed-methods research design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 524 African international students at universities in four Chinese cities (Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Wuxi) through questionnaire surveys. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted to identify distinct subgroups, followed by auxiliary analyses comparing profiles on cross-cultural adaptation outcomes. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with a subsample of 18 participants, with qualitative insights extracted using thematic analysis to contextualize the quantitative findings. A three-profile solution provided the best fit to the data (entropy = .86, BIC = 5389.78). Profile 1, "Resilient Integrators" (35.5%), was characterized by high identity recognition and cultural intelligence, low social avoidance, and low to moderate perceived discrimination. Profile 2, "Anxious Withdrawers" (21.4%), exhibited low identity recognition and cultural intelligence, high social avoidance and perceived discrimination. Profile 3, "Cautious Navigators" (43.1%), showed moderate levels across all indicators but with notable within-profile variability. The three profiles differed significantly in cross-cultural adaptation (χ2 = 156.82, p < .001), with Resilient Integrators reporting the highest adaptation and Anxious Withdrawers the lowest. However, the difference between Resilient Integrators and Cautious Navigators was smaller than expected, suggesting that moderate resources can yield reasonable adaptation in structured contexts. Chinese language proficiency (OR = 1.74, p < .001) and social support (OR = 1.58, p < .001) were significantly associated with membership in the Resilient Integrators profile. Qualitative interviews (N = 18) largely corroborated the quantitative profiles but also revealed important within-profile heterogeneity, particularly among Cautious Navigators, some of whom described experiences overlapping with the Anxious Withdrawers pattern. African international students in China form qualitatively distinct subgroups with different configurations of psychological and behavioral characteristics. Findings provide preliminary evidence that support services tailored to the characteristics of distinct subgroups, such as intensive language training and structured social opportunities, may warrant further investigation as alternatives to uniform support programs.

Cultural intelligence in context: Examining the generalizability of a cultural intelligence measure across three countries

This study investigates the moderated mediation relationship between societal mattering, intercultural competence (ICC), and intercultural helping tendency (IHT) among university students. Societal mattering, reflecting individuals perceived relevance within broader societal contexts, is hypothesized to affect IHT indirectly through ICC. This research aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 (quality education) and SDG 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions) by advancing evidence on how educational experiences cultivate intercultural understanding and prosocial engagement in diverse communities. The study employs two moderators, namely Model United Nations involvement (MUNI) and new media literacy (NML), to assess their influence on these interactions. Using the G*Power sample size calculator, 97 purposively selected university students were recruited. Data collection utilized validated instruments, including the cultural intelligence scale, helping attitude scale, university mattering scale (UM-S), new media literacy scale (NMLS), and a demographic questionnaire. The data were analyzed using moderated mediation modeling with PROCESS Macro Model 76. Results indicate societal mattering indirectly impacts IHT via ICC, particularly for students with moderate or high MUNI and low NML. The findings highlight MUN value in fostering IHT and ICC, informing policies for multicultural education.

Globalization and increasing international mobility intensify the importance of intercultural competencies in public trust professions. Previous research indicates that cultural intelligence and multicultural personality are crucial in intercultural interactions. The aim of this study was to assess the level of cultural intelligence, multicultural personality traits, and perceptions of cultural differences among students of social sciences, medical sciences, and health sciences. In Poland, the scale of cross-border contacts continues to grow, creating an educational challenge in preparing future professionals for work in multicultural environments. The study employed a proprietary questionnaire along with the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) and the short version of the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ SF-40). A total of 102 students from a large university in southern Poland participated in the study. The findings revealed that social science students demonstrated significantly higher levels of cultural intelligence compared to students of medical and health sciences. Cultural intelligence was positively correlated with cultural empathy, open-mindedness, social initiative, and emotional stability. To date, no studies in Poland have addressed this issue. The results highlight the need to design educational programs that foster intercultural competencies while considering the specific professional roles and differences in student preparation.

Stress mediates and gender moderates the relationship between cultural intelligence and insomnia symptoms in International students

This study examined the effect of cultural intelligence on the work engagement of employees in MTN operating in Lagos State. It specifically assessed the influence of cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and behavioural cultural intelligence on employee work engagement. A correlational cross-sectional survey research design was adopted. The population comprised 372 employees across MTN service centres in Lagos State, and a census approach was used. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics, including means and standard deviations, as well as multiple regression analysis to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that metacognitive cultural intelligence had the strongest positive influence on work engagement (β = .771, p &lt; 0.05), followed by cognitive cultural intelligence (β = .514, p &lt; 0.05) and behavioural cultural intelligence (β= .313, p &lt; 0.05). However, motivational cultural intelligence showed no significant effect (β= -.132, p &gt; 0.05). The study concludes that developing multiple dimensions of cultural intelligence simultaneously enhances employee work engagement more effectively than focusing on individual dimensions. It recommended that organizations implement comprehensive cultural intelligence training programs to improve engagement.

While the Big Five personality traits are established predictors of Cultural Intelligence (CQ), broad dispositional frameworks often under-specify the concrete self-regulatory strategies individuals deploy when navigating cultural novelty. This study advances CQ research by examining the Change-Related Personality Typology, comprising Proactive, Adaptive, Passive, and Change-Resistant profiles, as theoretically meaningful antecedents of CQ. Grounded in Cognitive-Adaptive Trait Theory, we argue that the combination of change orientation (embrace vs. resist) and control strategy (primary vs. secondary) shapes intercultural competence. Data from 261 emergent adults in a multicultural university setting were analyzed using hierarchical regression with bootstrapping, Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA), and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). Across analyses, Adaptive and Proactive personalities were robust positive predictors of CQ, whereas Change-Resistant personality showed a consistent negative association. Evidence for Passive personality was weaker and context-dependent, aligning with its low-activation behavioral profile. Steiger’s Z-tests further indicated that Adaptive personality relates more strongly to CQ than Proactive personality and that Change-Resistant personality is more damaging than Passive personality. Moving beyond average effects, NCA showed that baseline levels of Proactive and Adaptive personality operate as necessary conditions for achieving high CQ, whereas IPMA highlighted Adaptive personality as the most impactful “driver” of CQ performance. Together, these findings refine dispositional models of CQ by distinguishing traits that increase CQ on average from traits that function as minimum prerequisites for high CQ.

The translation of idioms has always been a challenging task for translators due to their culture-bound references and level of creativity. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence technologies, translators and language instructors are using AI to assist them in different language-related tasks; however, the main concern is whether these AI technologies are efficient in creative translation tasks like rendering cultural subtleties and nuances in idioms. The present paper, which falls into the scope of AI-based translation, aims at investigating the efficiency of Large Language Models in translating idioms from Arabic into English. To attain this aim, two AI models ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot are tested in the English translation of five commonly-used Standard Arabic idioms. After receiving the same prompts, each model’s output is analyzed to verify correctness and accuracy within Venuti’s foreignization and domestication framework. The findings validate the efficiency of both ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot in rendering idioms with the former opting for foreignization approach and the latter for a combination of foreignization and domestication approaches. The findings also pinpoint the potential of AI in creative translation instruction.