Cultural Intelligence, Cross-cultural Adjustment, and Work Productivity: A Case Study of Lao Migrant Workers in Agro-industry
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Abstract
This quantitative research aims to examine the effect of cultural intelligence on cross-cultural adjustment and work productivity. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 352 Lao migrant workers in the agro-industry in Thailand by convenience sampling method. The hypotheses were tested by structural equation modeling. The results showed that motivational and behavioral cultural intelligence had a positive direct effect on cross-cultural adjustment, but cognitive cultural intelligence had a negative direct effect on migrant workers' cross-cultural adjustment. It was also found that cultural intelligence had a significant indirect effect on work productivity through cross-cultural adjustment at the 0.01 level. The independent variables are able to predict work productivity at 75 percent (R2 = 0.75).
This research empirically confirms that motivational, behavioral, and cognitive cultural intelligence, as well as cross-cultural adjustment, affect work productivity of migrant workers. Academically, this research provides in-depth results by analyzing the effect of each dimension of cultural intelligence and reveals the importance of intermediate variables of cross-cultural adjustment. Relevant government agencies and business operators importing migrant workers can use the results to develop appropriate training programs to prepare workers with cultural intelligence and to support the workers to work in different cultures.
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