Leadership Cultural Intelligence to Improve Decision Making Process in Cross-Cultural Work Atmosphere

The aim of this study is to provide an empirical evidence on the value of using a coherent organizational framework of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) to pursuing tasks effectively in diverse contexts. Hence, a qualitative research design was used to achieve the research objectives. The study employs in-depth Interviews with 60 participants from Gulf Air (GA) to collect the required data for this research effort. The open-ended qualitative questions used, have enabled participants to provide supplementary evidence around cultural intelligence and were valid for interpretation. This study provides an understanding of how individuals perform in multicultural environments, which can be helpful to managers in formulating new motivational strategies to enhance employee performance. The results show significant characteristics that predict employees' ability to function effectively in a multicultural work environment. These findings have implications for GA and other companies looking for survival and growth in the global marketplace. Given the research findings, senior leaders of GA (and other airlines companies) should give CQ a priority, define and develop its goals, and value employees with high CQ to improve organizational performance in international assignments.