Proper staffing with relevant skills is important to any business.
In large firms the export manager should understand the cultures in which he or
she is working within. The researchers looked at 153 U.S. companies to
determine if an exporting manager’s cultural intelligence impacts the success
of the company in engaging in international sales. Such skills allow for
greater adaptation through understanding.
Companies naturally move through marketing-mix adaptations
whereby they change the way in which they handle internal and external
pressures. When done well it increases
the strategic, financial, and competitive objective achievements into specific
markets (Cavusgil & Zou, 1994). Much of this adjustment is based on the manager’s
ability to understand the markets and make connections to the people within
that market.
According to Resource-Advantage Theory when firms can deploy
the proper mix of financial, physical, legal, human, organizational,
informational and relational resources they can become more productive (Hunt,
2000). The human aspects of R-A Theory relate closely to the marketing manager.
This requires the skills of the international marketing manager to match with
their motivations and metacognitive cultural intelligence to encourage
additional product sales.
Motivational Cultural Intelligence is the ability to
continually put forward energy to learn about new cultures and situations where
culture is important. It rests on the four dimensions of motivation,
behavioral, cognitive, and metacognitive (Ang et al, 2007). It is a process of
understanding norms, cultural rules, underlying values, and mental models of
other people that can help in negotiations and business.
When metacognitive CQ is high it contextualizes thinking
with sensitivity to the embedded nature of culture and stronger cognitive flexibility
that adjusts to changes in the environment (Klafehn, et. al, 2009). This helps
managers understand their customers better from the perspective of their
culture and create higher levels of business opportunities. It provides a
context to the other’s culture and how to relate information to raise the value
of products.
The research found mixed results in terms of performance but
does provide support that motivational CQ and metacognitive CQ can understand
culture better, are willing to make adaptations, and can enhance strategic
thinking within the organization. The study did have a limitation in terms of
measuring how much control these managers have over the processes and whether
or not any of their suggestions have been implemented. Simply having personnel
with strong skills doesn’t mean there is going to be a benefit without some way
of ensuring their ideas are heard and strong ideas are implemented.
Ang., et. al. (2006). Personality correlates of the four
factor model of cultural intelligence. Group
and organizational management, 31 (1).
Cavusgil,S. & Zou, S. (1994). Marketing strategy
performance relationships: an investigation of the empirical link in export
market ventures. Journal of Marking,
58.
Klafehn, et. al. (2009). Navigating cultures: the role of
metacognitive cultural intelligences, “in
Handbook of Cultural Intelligence: Theory, Measurement, and Applications.”
Soon Angand and Linn Van Dyne, eds. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.
Magnusson, P. et. al. (2013). The
role of cultural intelligence in marketing adaptation and export performance. Journal of International Marketing, 21
(4).
