Cultural intelligence and adaptive selling behaviors in cross-cultural selling: The cognitive resource theory and social role theory perspective

This study examines the underlying mechanism explaining the contribution of cultural intelligence (CQ) to adaptive selling behaviors in cross-cultural selling contexts. The study draws on cognitive resource theory in order to explore the mediating role of customer qualification skills in explaining how CQ contributes to adaptive selling behaviors. The study also uses social role theory to illustrate the moderating role of gender in the effectiveness of cultural intelligence on customer qualification skills. Data were collected from 966 export salespeople in mainland China using a questionnaire survey, and partial least squares structural equation modeling was used for the data analysis. The results revealed a positive association between cultural intelligence and adaptive selling behaviors, as well as a partial mediating effect of customer qualification skills on this positive association. Moreover, the positive relationship between cultural intelligence and customer qualification skills was found to be stronger among female export salespeople than their male counterparts.