Assessing the psychometric properties of cultural intelligence scale among Indian employees

Abstract

Cultural Intelligence as a characteristic brings a plethora of advantages to the individual, team and the organization. Literature suggests that cultural intelligence positively impacts an employees’ leadership potential, creativity and job performance. Therefore, it is imperative for organizations to have a standard measure for assessing cultural intelligence. The current study examines the psychometrics of the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CIS) among Indian employees. To attain the objectives, data were collected in three studies (study 1: n = 198; study 2: n = 227; and study 3: n = 257). The psychometric tests included measurement of Cronbach’s alpha, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), second-order CFA, convergent and discriminant validity (through average variance extracted, maximum variance shared, and average variance shared) and nomological validity (assessment of CIS with authentic happiness, cross-cultural adjustment and job performance). The CIS reported acceptable values for reliability and validity. In addition, the study highlights significant differences among males and females with respect to the behavioral dimension of cultural intelligence among employees. Further, the study emphasizes that the CIS is a standardized measure for assessing competent employees whose job roles demand interaction with multi-cultural and cross-cultural clients. Finally, the study elucidates significant implications for various stakeholders, limitations and ideas for future research.