A Cross-Cultural Model of Leaders' Social Intelligence and Creative Performance

Abstract

This cross-cultural study in five countries (U.S., U.K, Scotland, Hong Kong, Thailand) was designed to test the relationship between leaders’ social intelligence (SI) and their creative performance (CP). SI was defined as the ability to be aware of relevant social situational contexts; to deal with situational contexts or challenges effectively; to understand others' concerns, feelings, and emotional states; and to build and maintain positive relationships and to behave appropriately in social relations. A pilot study was conducted with a collegiate sample of employed undergraduate students and their colleagues in the U.S. The model developed in the pilot study was tested in the five samples of employed MBA students. The questionnaires required observers (i.e., respondents) to indicate to what extent their supervisors displayed SI and CP. Data analyses in each sample with LISREL suggest that supervisors with greater social intelligence contributed more to CP. Implications for management, directions for future research, and limitations of the study are discussed.

Keywords: Creative performance, Leadership, Social intelligence