Linking Cultural Intelligence to Job Embeddedness and Communication Effectiveness of Expatriates in Ghana: The Roles of Intercultural Self-Efficacy and Inclusive Climate

Abstract

The study investigates the impact of cultural intelligence (CQ) on various work-related outcomes, including job embeddedness (JE), communication effectiveness (CE), inclusive climate (IC), and intercultural self-efficacy (ISE) of expatriates in Ghana. In addition, it explored the mediating roles of inclusive climate and intercultural self-efficacy, as well as the moderating role of inclusive climate in the relationship between cultural intelligence and job embeddedness and communication effectiveness. A quantitative approach was employed with data collected using adopted questionnaires. The data was drawn from expatriates (n=276) who work in large international organisations (or MNCs) in Ghana. The statistical analyses were conducted using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS version 23.0) and SEM using AMOS (version 29.0). The study found that cultural intelligence significantly influences expatriates' experiences, particularly in terms of job embeddedness, communication effectiveness, inclusive climate, and intercultural self-efficacy. While inclusive climate and intercultural self-efficacy play vital roles in promoting effective communication, intercultural self-efficacy does not directly influence job embeddedness. Furthermore, inclusive climate mediates cultural intelligence and job embeddedness as well as communication effectiveness relationships, but intercultural self-efficacy only mediates CQ-CE relationship and not CQ-JE relationship. The moderation role of inclusive climate on CQ-JE-CE relationships was not supported. The study concludes that the positive impact of cultural intelligence underscores its role as a critical competency for expatriates in navigating cross-cultural interactions and fostering effective workplace relationships. The study recommends cross-cultural coaching, mentoring, and immersive learning experiences to reinforce expatriates’ cultural adaptability as well as creating an inclusive climate that values cultural diversity and encourages intercultural collaboration. Finally, the study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on expatriate experiences in diverse cultural settings, offering practical implications for improving expatriate performance, retention, and overall well-being in international assignments.