Cultural Agility in the Age of Disruption

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this paper is to propose a holistic conceptual framework focusing on cultural agility, intercultural competence and how they activate within the complex dynamics of disruptive business environments in order to enhance companies’ ability to operate in international markets and to respond to the challenges posed by a rapidly changing landscape impacted by fast technological advancements, Artificial Intelligence, global trends or major geopolitical shifts. Our research methods included a critical screening of relevant literature, journals, books, articles, reports, statistics, internet researches, that represented the theoretical part of this study. Based on this theoretical foundation, interpreting our findings, a holistic conceptual framework is proposed. This framework illustrates a process constituted by 4 stages strongly connected with the concepts of organizational culture and strategy. It highlights the vital importance of cultural knowledge, behaviour, feedback & assessment, improvement & learning within organizations facing disruptive challenges. This paper is part of a larger project on the importance of intercultural competences in multinationals and offers future research opportunities.