From Cognition to Conduct: A Cultural Intelligence-Based Framework for Understanding and Managing Unethical Behaviour in Multinational Workplaces

Abstract

While Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is widely recognised for its benefits in multicultural contexts, its ethical implications remain underexplored. The aim of this thesis was to answer research questions concerning the role of CQ in unethical employees’ behaviour (UEB) and to critically examine the role of potential internal and external behavioural modifiers and mediators.

A pilot study was undertaken to evaluate conceptual frameworks comprising internal and external mediators, such as moral relativism (MR) and subjective norms (SN), to refine the conceptual framework and identify potential areas for further scrutiny, to enable the identification of conditions under which CQ may lead to ethical or unethical outcomes. A second study was then undertaken, comprising a further analytical framework with moderators such as moral identity centrality (MIC) and Machiavellian personality characteristics, designed to enable an in-depth evaluation of the potential downsides of cultural intelligence as a predictor of unethical behaviour among employees.

Key findings suggest that higher CQ can facilitate both ethical adaptability and unethical manipulation, depending on specific mediating and moderating factors. The findings provide evidence to support the extant literature concerning the role of CQ as a predictor of unethical behaviour and contribute further evidence of both its positive and negative effects within organisational settings.

The role of personal morality-related characteristics was critically examined through an analysis of the moderating role of the relationship between CQ and MR, as well as its indirect moderating effect on unethical behaviour through MR. The mediation mechanisms of Machiavellian Personality, MR, and MIC, and their underlying relational complexities from both positive and negative perspectives, were also quantified.

The findings provide actionable implications for organisations and policymakers and emphasise the need to take both the positive and negative ethical dimensions of CQ into account when promoting multicultural cooperation in the workplace.