Identification of High Potential Talent Through Correlation Analysis of Cultural Intelligence Factors: A Multiple Group Comparison Study

Purpose- The purpose of the present paper is to clarify the most essential factor or factors that makes or make it possible to identify high potential talent for CQ development. Design/methodology/approach- This research is based on questionnaires of the pre- and post-survey. Findings- By analyzing pre- and post- CQ scores of 45 students, this paper empirically found that those whose CQ sub-factors exhibited high correlation among each other have the greatest potential for CQ development than those with low correlation. Moreover, the findings presented in this paper showed that the average CQ may not be accurate in predicting potential for CQ development. Research implications or Originality- As the business environment becomes more global and disruptive, and amidst reliance on expatriates, an increasing number of multinational companies have adopted the concept of cultural intelligence (CQ) as an integral component of their international human resource management (IHRM) strategy. This is due to the fact that there is abundant evidence that CQ is positively related to various performance outcomes (e.g., cultural adaptation, expatriate performance, global leadership, and cultural negotiation) within a wide variety of cultural contexts. While a number of previous studies, to date, have attempted to identify antecedents and consequences of CQ, one key research question remains unanswered; namely, how to identify high potential talent for CQ development. In this regard, this paper provides a contribution to the deeper understanding of high potential talent for CQ development.