Cultural Intelligence of Community College Presidents in Two Majority-Minority States

Abstract

With the growing diversification of the community college student body, as well as the nation, the level of cultural intelligence of the community college president of today is even more important than in times past. Based on research findings, cross-cultural leadership is cited as the number one management challenge of the twenty-first century and beyond. Research suggests that to lead and manage effectively, equitably, and excellently in our diverse and globalized world, leaders must possess a high level of cultural intelligence. Despite the growing recognition of the importance of cultural intelligence within the academy, there is a dearth of research studies on cultural intelligence in American higher education, and there are no studies on the cultural intelligence of the community college president. Thus, this quantitative study sought to explore the strongest and weakest cultural intelligence factors of community college presidents in two majority-minority states (California and Texas), as well as the relationship between their perceived multicultural competence and cultural intelligence.

The theoretical framework used was cultural intelligence, a conceptualization of one’s capability to interact effectively across cultures. The Four-Factor Model, which includes metacognitive CQ, cognitive CQ, motivational CQ, and behavioral CQ, undergirds the theory. Data was gathered using the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) and the Multicultural Competency Questionnaire (MCQ). The MCQ self-asses multicultural competence in three subscales: multicultural awareness, multicultural knowledge, and multicultural skills. This research data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and parametric statistics. The thirty-nine community college presidents who participated viewed themselves as having a relatively strong level of skills (metacognitive CQ) to behave appropriately in cross-cultural situations but also viewed their knowledge (cognitive CQ) of other cultural groups at a weaker capacity level. Furthermore, respondents rated themselves highest in multicultural awareness and lowest in multicultural knowledge. There was also a direct correlation between total CQS scores and total MCQ scores. For future research on the community college president and cultural intelligence, the researcher recommends including other majority-minority states, as well as states with majority White populations and combining the CQS self-assessment with the CQS observer report, a survey used to rate the cultural intelligence capabilities of another person.