Cultural intelligence and innovative work behavior: the role of work engagement and interpersonal trust

Purpose Because of the rapidly changing environment and fleeting market opportunities, employee's innovative work behavior is increasingly assuming a pivotal role in enhancing organizational effectiveness and competitive advantage. The success of organizations is largely depended on their employees' ability to innovate. The role of cultural intelligence to enhance innovative work behavior is yet to be explored in the innovation research. The purpose of this study is to examine how cultural intelligence enhances employees' innovative work behavior through work engagement and interpersonal trust. Design/methodology/approach The study is a cross-sectional design which utilizes data from 381 participants from multinational corporations in Saudi Arabia. Findings The results indicate that cultural intelligence can significantly affect employee's innovative work behavior. It further reveals that both work engagement and interpersonal trust partially mediate the effect of cultural intelligence on innovative work behavior. Originality/value This study adds to the literature on intelligence by examining an underexplored type of intelligence (i.e. cultural intelligence) in relation to employee's innovative work behavior. It reveals work engagement and interpersonal trust as the psychological mechanisms that can link cultural intelligence to innovative work behaviors.