Cross-Cultural Intelligence (CQ): It's impact on expatriate adjustment on international construction projects

Internationalization of construction companies and their operations has lead to the migration/promotion of construction professionals to different parts of the world. These individuals need to adjust themselves to the new environment because international businesses require their staff to work efficiently irrespective of the cultural setting (Yamakazi & Kayes, 2004) and also because cross-cultural adjustment is one of the most frequently studied factors in assessing the success of international assignments (Aycan & Kanungo, 1997, Ones & Viswesvaran, 1997). Cross-cultural adjustment is multi-dimensional (Haslberger, 2005; Aycan, 1997), to nail down all the factors influencing it; a detail literature study was conducted. Review which particularly concentrated on Cultural intelligence (CQ) however suggests that an expatriate's skills and competencies do significantly contribute to their adjustment. The analysis of the Cultural Intelligence (CQ) constructs suggests that Cognitive CQ empowers the expatriates with in depth knowledge about different cultures, whereas motivational and behavioral CQ helps to negate psychological stress, all of which facilitate higher levels of adjustment (Kumar et al., 2008). Understanding these essential factors can actually help construction organizations in selecting, mentoring individuals and even provide necessary support for successful completion of projects.