Cross-cultural competence in international business: toward a definition and a model

James P Johnson, Tomasz Lenartowicz and Salvador Apud
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James P Johnson: Crummer Graduate School of Business, Rollins College, Winter Park, USA
Tomasz Lenartowicz: Deparment of Management, International Business and Entrepreneurship, College of Business, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, USA
Salvador Apud: LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas, Austin, USA

Journal of International Business Studies, 2006, vol. 37, issue 4, 525-543

Abstract: Many international business failures have been ascribed to a lack of cross-cultural competence (CC) on the part of business practitioners. However, the international business literature appears to lack an adequate conceptualization and definition of the term ‘CC’, focusing instead on the knowledge, skills and attributes that appear to be its antecedents. In this conceptual study, we propose a definition of CC as it applies to international business and develop a model for understanding how CC is nurtured in individuals, linking our definition to the concept of cultural intelligence. We discuss the components of the model and suggest that there are environmental and contextual impediments to the effective application of the requisite skills, knowledge and attributes that have been identified as necessary for CC, resulting in a gap between ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’. We conclude by discussing the implications of the model for practitioners, and by suggesting appropriate directions for further research. Journal of International Business Studies (2006) 37, 525–543. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400205

Date: 2006
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