Cross-cultural Competence to Cultural Intelligence: Measuring that Certain Global Something

Discussion Forum:
The search for cross-cultural competence - that certain global something that makes some individuals more effective interculturally than others has a deep history. Recently there has been widespread recognition that cross-cultural competence is now a fundamental requirement for well-educated members of today’s world (Thomas & Inkson, 2017). And, programs to try to develop this competency abound (see Varela, 2017). Numerous models of intercultural effectiveness exist. However, these models have rarely been subjected to empirical test in their entirety. Furthermore, measures of intercultural effectiveness developed from these models have not fared well upon close examination (e.g., Abe, Gulick & Herman, 2007; Gabrenya et al., 2012; Matsumoto & Hwang, 2013). Likewise, reviews of the measurement of cultural intelligence, the most recent entrant to the mix, have not been kind (Bücker, Furrer, & Lin, 2015; Gabrenya, van Driel, Culhane, and Turner, 2011; Lorenz et al., 2017; Ward, Fischer, Lam, & Hall, 2009). Given the need for cross cultural competence in essentially all fields of endeavor it seems imperative that a well-conceived assessment of this capability should exist. In this Discussion Forum different approaches to conceptualizing and measuring cross cultural competence (cultural intelligence) will be explored. Each discussant will briefly (5-7 minutes) present their perspective on the topic, which will be followed by a facilitated discussion among the attendees. The goal of the session is to summarize the current issues and discuss possible avenues for future development.

Convener: David C. Thomas, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Canada

Discussant: William Gabrenya, Florida Institute of Technology, USA

Discussant: Colleen Ward, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Discussant: Yuan Liao, IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Spain

Discussant: Fons van de Vijver, Tilburg University, The Netherlands