A reading in cross-cultural service encounter: Exploring the relationship between cultural intelligence, employee performance and service quality

Abstract

A multi-disciplinary reading in cross-cultural service interactions in hospitality and service management literature was undertaken focusing on employee’s attitudes and behaviour that are seen to influence service quality. The interplay of the competing constructs of employee personality, emotional intelligence and cultural intelligence in the service encounter was looked at in relation to employee performance and customer perception of service quality. The reading suggests that cultural intelligence of service employees was the most relevant construct in the encounter. As there are no studies linking cultural intelligence to service quality, the dialogue with the literature allowed the development of a theoretical model of relationships which proposed that cultural intelligence is related to service quality through employee performance. This reading adds to the cross-cultural hospitality and service management literature and has potential implications for management and employee training and development in these fields.