Building cultural intelligence through supervisor support: Social exchange and subjective career success as mediators and organisational support as a moderator
| Published date | 01 June 2023 |
| Author | Huong Le,Zhou Jiang,Jeffrey Greenhaus |
| Date | 01 June 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/imig.13045 |
1School of Business and Law, CQUniversity,
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
2Graduate School of Business and Law, RMIT
University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
3LeBow College of Business, Drexel University,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Correspondence
Huong Le, School of Business and Law,
CQUniversity, 120 Spencer Street, Melbourne,
VIC 3000, Australia.
Email: h.le@cqu.edu.au
Abstract
This study offers a new perspective on how organisational
factors influence migrant workers' cultural intelligence (CQ)
by examining a moderated mediation model of the mecha-
nism underlying the relationship between perceived supervi-
sor support and CQ. We tested our model using a survey on
a sample of 462 migrants. We found that employees' social
exchange and subjective career success mediated the rela-
tionship between their perceptions of supervisor support
and CQ. Furthermore, perceived organisational support
moderated the social exchange–CQ relationship, and this
relationship was stronger among workers with perceived high
organisational support than for those with perceptions of low
support. We also found that the indirect effect of employees'
perceived supervisor support on CQ via social exchange was
stronger for those with perceived high organisational support
than for those with perceptions of low support. This study
contributes to a better understanding of factors that foster
migrant workers' abilities to navigate diverse workplaces.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Building cultural intelligence through supervisor
support: Social exchange and subjective career
success as mediators and organisational support
as a moderator
Huong Le1 | Zhou Jiang2 | Jeffrey Greenhaus3
DOI: 10.1111/imig.13045
Received: 14 October 2021 Revised: 10 May 2022 Accepted: 29 June 2022
INTRODUCTION
Today's global context is characterised by culturally diverse workplaces that require employees to have high levels
of cultural competence if they are to successfully adjust to and survive in competitive work environments. Cultural
270
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© 2022 The Authors. International Migration published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Organization for Migration.
International Migration. 2023;61:270–286.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/imig
BUILDING CQ THROUGH SUPERVISOR SUPPORT271
competence (also referred to as cross-cultural competence or intercultural competence in the literature) is defined
as “a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among profes-
sionals and enables that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations” (Cross
et al., 1989, pp. iv-v). This concept is used widely in the workforce diversity literature in multicultural countries such
as the USA, Canada and Australia, due to its important role in dealing with the issues involving minorities in the
workplace. Indeed, cultural competency is an umbrella term for capabilities that help facilitate intercultural effec-
tiveness (Ang et al., 2015). Despite a large literature on cultural competence, the conceptualisations and definitions
of this construct are often ambiguous. Cultural competence is conceptualised as personal characteristics related to
traits, attitudes/worldviews, capabilities or a mix of the above (Leung et al., 2014). However, cultural competence
is conceptually distinct from cultural intelligence (CQ) in that cultural competence is a combination of ability and
personality traits, which are specific to the knowledge of a country, while CQ is based on contemporary theories of
intelligence, not specific to a particular culture, and distinct from personality traits (Ang et al., 2007, 2015).
This paper focuses on CQ as a dependent variable referring to an individual's capability to function, communi-
cate, adapt and interact effectively in cross-cultural settings including new cultural environments (Ang et al., 2007;
Earley & Ang, 2003). Individuals with high CQ are good at decision-making and have abilities to work and cooperate
effectively with others from different cultures, which is likely to benefit their task performance (Fang et al., 2018;
Lee & Sukoco, 2010; Ott & Michailova, 2018). There are a few empirical studies, and cultural competence has
been discussed either conceptually or empirically from a multilevel perspective (i.e. team and firm levels) (Leung
et al., 2014; Ott & Michailova, 2018). For example, Leung et al.’s (2014) review highlights that CQ plays an influen-
tial role in improving team performance, team cohesion and shared values in culturally diverse teams where there
are negative interpersonal dynamics. Furthermore, firm-level CQ has a positive influence on international strategic
alliances' performance and on managing and leveraging a diverse workforce. Despite the importance of a better
understanding of factors that foster employees' abilities to navigate in multicultural workplaces, very little empirical
research examines organisational factors that predict CQ. Furthermore, most studies on CQ in organisational contexts
often employed expatriate and/or student samples (Ott & Michailova, 2018), although using migrant samples would
provide new perspectives due to different circumstances of their settlement.
In this paper, we adopt the term migrant workers/employees to refer to people living and working in Australia
who identify as Asian Australian, African Australian, Latinx/Hispanic, and European Australian, and were born in
non-English speaking countries. The term “migrant workers” also refers to people of colour and racially and cultur-
ally diverse immigrants and refugees. Given that migration populations have grown across the globe in recent years
(United Nations, 2017), migrant workers in multicultural countries often fill in labour gaps and contribute substantially
to the cultural and economic developments of the host countries (Le, Nielsen, & Noblet, 2021; United Nations, 2017).
Despite these contributions, many migrant workers experience poorer working conditions and more precarious and
low-skilled work, discrimination and unfair treatment than their white local counterparts (Le et al., 2020; Le, Nielsen,
& Noblet, 2021). Their skills and qualifications are often unrecognised (Khan-Gökkaya & Mösko, 2021; Sardana
et al., 2016), and they also lack social networks with non-migrants (Le et al., 2014). These barriers hinder migrant
workers from interacting effectively with people from other cultures, which often helps people (i.e. expatriates or
students) to develop CQ (Ott & Michailova, 2018).
Previous research found a number of predictors of CQ. These include skills such as international work and
non-work experience, cultural exposure that provides expatriates or students with opportunities to interact with
people from different cultures and cross-cultural training (Fang et al., 2018; Ott & Michailova, 2018). Predictive
individual factors are openness to experience (Ang et al., 2006) and language acquisition (Ott & Michailova, 2018;
Shannon & Begley, 2008). To date, there have not been many empirical studies of how organisational factors influence
an individual's CQ and of the mechanism that mediates or moderates those relationships among migrant workers. This
oversight is problematic since these factors could accentuate or attenuate migrant workers' CQ and its influence on
their work outcomes, including their ability to gain support from their supervisors to access the resources necessary
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