Developing Global Leaders: the Role of International Experience and Cultural Intelligence

Globalization requires business leaders who can manage effectively in multicultural environments. Although many organizations assume leaders will enhance their multicultural skills through international assignments, it is unclear how leaders translate these international experiences into knowledge and skills that enhance their effectiveness. Based on experiential learning theory (ELT), we propose that cultural intelligence (CQ) is an essential learning capability that leaders can use to translate their international experiences into effective experiential learning in culturally diverse contexts. Managing the ‘‘global leadership gap’’ is one of the major concerns of corporations operating in today’s global business environment (Sloan, Hazucha, & Van Katwyk, 2003). Two recent Economist Intelligence Unit (2006, 2007) CEO briefings based on survey data from over 1,000 senior executives across 40 nations identified lack of high quality talent that can Advances in Global Leadership, Volume 5, 225–250 Copyright r 2009 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited All rights of reproduction in any form reserved ISSN: 1535-1203/doi:10.1108/S1535-1203(2009)0000005013