Cross-cultural social intelligence: An assessment for employees working in cross-national contexts

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to discuss the concept of cross-cultural social intelligence (CCSI), its relevance for both selecting and developing expatriates and other employees working in cross-cultural contexts, the development of a situational judgment test to assess CCSI, and practical “lessons learned” in each of these areas. Design/methodology/approach – The four phases of the development and validation of the CCSI measure (using a total of 184 cross-cultural SMEs) were developing the scenarios and the response alternatives, the content analysis, and establishing construct validity. Findings – The results from the content analysis and construct validation provide support for the use of the CCSI in cross-cultural situations. Research limitations/implications – The CCSI has not yet been validated in a criterion-related way (i.e. based on relations to job performance). This should be done before using for selection. Practical implications – Possible uses for the CCSI in organisations include selection and/or promotion of expatriates and other employees in cross-cultural contexts and several types of training and development initiatives. This instrument is offered (free of charge) to any interested managers or HR practitioners. Originality/value – Despite the expressed need for instruments of this sort, nothing similar currently exists (especially not a theoretically grounded and empirically sound instrument). In addition, the “lessons learned” provide practical advice to others engaged in similar undertakings. © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited