The Meaning of International Experience (IE) for the Development of Cultural Intelligence (CQ)

Cultural intelligence, international experience and early internationalization: An essay on connecting constructs

“…International experiences can range from short visits to other countries to long-term immersion experiences in a new culture (Li et al, 2013). International experiences are said to include meaningful interactions with natives of the foreign culture, through which individuals develop structures of specific knowledge about another culture (Church, 1982;Earley & Ang, 2003;Thomas et al, 2008;Michailova & Ang, 2003;Ott & Iskhakova, 2019).…”

“…International professional experiences develop work-related knowledge and skills, limiting the influence of these experiences influence because the individual's primary care is focused on this domain (Moon, 2012). Non-work experiences, on the other hand, provide opportunities for interaction with the natives of the visited country, gaining specific knowledge of the general culture, and developing comprehensive cultural frameworks of reference (Moon, 2012;Takeuchi, Wang & Marinova, 2005Ott & Iskhakova, 2019). Non-work-related experiences include vacations, education abroad, and language study (Crowne, 2008;Moon, 2012;Ott & Iskhakova, 2019), while work-related experiences are international assignments and short business trips.…”

“…Non-work-related experiences include vacations, education abroad, and language study (Crowne, 2008;Moon, 2012;Ott & Iskhakova, 2019), while work-related experiences are international assignments and short business trips. (Moon, 2012;Ott & Iskhakova, 2019).…”

“…Those who had no experience in a similar country reported a weaker fit. IE, at the individual level, is routinely included in adjustment models for foreigners and expatriates (Church, 1982;Lee & Sukoco, 2010;Moon, 2012;Selmer, 2002;Takeuchi, Wang & Marinova, 2005;Ott & Iskhakova, 2019). When individuals are exposed to other cultures, they gain essential information about the culture and develop processes to deal with cultural differences and form accurate expectations of other cultures (Church, 1982).…”

“…IE provides a crucial and unique context that creates the opportunity for CQ learning and development (Fang, Schei & Selart, 2018). Therefore, IE is one of the most frequently examined predictors of CQ, with most previous research supporting a positive link between IE and CQ (Harrison, 2012;Moon, Choi & Jung, 2012;Pekerti & Arli, 2017;Ott & Iskhakova, 2019).…”