Cultural Intelligence: A Review Perspective for Business Administration Renata Klafke 1* , Claudia Tania Picinin 2 and Dan Allen Townsend 3 1 Universidadde Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Campus Curitiba, Brazil 2 Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná1 (UTFPR), Campus Ponta Grossa, Brazil 3 University of Tenesse (UTK), Knoxville, USA * Corresponding author: Renata Klafke, Universidadde Federal do Paraná (UFPR) – Campus Curitiba, Brazil, Tel: 55-42-99821-7475; E-mail: nena.klafke@gmail.com Received date: September 28, 2019, Accepted date: November 4, 2019, Published date: November 11, 2019 Copyright: © 2019 Klafke R, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract This work aims to review the existing publications on cultural intelligence (CQ), presenting what has been discussed and discovered on the subject, the measurements as well as the methods to improve it. A business conceptual framework for the business field is suggested which provides a basis for theory development and debate. Finally, some insights will be highlighted, which can propel the readers into future research. A search was performed on papers selected from the Science Direct database, which houses the empirical studies in the business management field. Sixteen articles were studied in detail. The relationships between skills of using CQ with expatriation or international cultural adjustment were found to be the most investigated themes in the business arena. Most of them revealed the existence of a positive association between the expatriate performance and cross- cultural adaptation. The most used instrument used to measure CQ was the CQ Scale, a scale with psychological origins. No scale was developed or found from the business area. From the literature review an initial framework is suggested for the business environment. Keywords: Cultural intelligence; Business administration; Multicultural contexts Introduction Just like a scientifc discovery catches the attention of an entire community, Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is a current hot topic, although the term was coined in 2002. Still, the scholars increasingly want to publish some empirical discovery, whether a measuring instrument or a diferent theory on the subject. Afer all, is it not one of the reasons for the development of science? ‘Add a brick to the wall’ of knowledge? And this work, therefore, will be in a similar vein. Te idea of writing a bibliographic review work is because a signifcant number of people (especially business academics) know very little about the topic. In informal and exploratory conversations on the subject, we noticed that many people are unaware of it, whereas others confuse it with social and emotional intelligence, referring to psychology. Not surprisingly, both social and emotional intelligence were ‘ discovered ’ by psychologists. To familiarize readers with this subject, a brief presentation on the concepts of cultural intelligence, social intelligence and emotional intelligence is presented. Social intelligence (SQ) was introduced in the early twentieth century by Torndike, whereas emotional intelligence (EQ) came into existence in the 1990s, courtesy of Goleman. However, there is no doubt that these concepts intertwine. Gardner explained that his concept of ‘multiple intelligences’ comes from both the intrapersonal (emotional) and interpersonal (social) intelligences. Peter Salovey and John Mayer saw emotional intelligence as a part of social intelligence. Terefore, it is only a development conducted by Goleman. It must not be forgotten, that CQ involves cross-cultural communication efectiveness and has its origins in interpreting and applying the seminal but controversial work by Hofstede, which is used to understand the diferences in culture across countries and also to explain how business is conducted across diferent cultures [1]. By reading the works of the abovementioned authors, it can be said that social intelligence is considered as the ability to understand and deal with people. Emotional intelligence, on the other hand, is a subset of social intelligence, yet its ability is revealed by one’s ability to monitor one’s own actions as well as that of others’. Tis makes these readings a quick interpretation to guide one’ s thoughts and attitudes. Both intelligences have a strong cognitive aspect, i.e., the perception and knowledge [2]. In management, one might think that CQ is the ability that a person (e.g., a manager) possesses in recognizing and treating the emotions of his colleagues and subordinates. Individuals with a high level of emotional intelligence are more empathic and less defensive; they can monitor both their own sensations as well as those of others. In relation to cultural intelligence, the objective of this study, it refers to the ability of an individual to adapt to a new cultural context, making him/her capable of managing people with diferent cultural origins [2,3]. CQ should not be confused with cultural competence. According to these same authors, it does not emphasize the mere understanding of diferent cultures in the cognitive and behavioral facets but helps in the resolution of problems and efective adaptations to various cultural confgurations. For the management area/subject, understanding these intelligences and how they can infuence work and interpersonal relationships as well as the relation between subordinate vs. managerial relationship can be a source of competitive advantage. To emphasize that cultural intelligence is increasingly necessary in organizations due to globalization, digital era and international business, this paper presents empirical research and other insights on the subject. Because this article is targeted, but not limited to, academics and managers, it only includes the analysis of research published in management journals, which are aligned with the faculty of this social science. Te concepts adapted from the social sciences cannot be underestimated. One of the most important developments in working J o u r n a l o f G l o b a l E c o n o m i c s ISSN: 2375-4389 $ Journal of Global Economics Klafke, et al., J Glob Econ 2019, 7:3 Research Article Open Access J Glob Econ, an open access journal ISSN: 2375-4389 Volume 7 • Issue 3 • 1000340