From Experience to Experiential Learning: Cultural Intelligence as a Learning Capability for Global Leader Development

Although international assignments are recognized as important mechanisms for developing global leaders in organizations, existing research has focused primarily on leaders' performance during international assignments, rather than on the developmental outcomes gained from such assignments. We integrate research on experiential learning and cultural intelligence to propose a process model that focuses on how leaders translate their international work assignment experiences into learning outcomes critical for global leadership development. Our model positions cultural intelligence as a moderator that enhances the likelihood that individuals on international assignments will actively engage in the four stages of experiential learning (experience, reflect, conceptualize, experiment), which in turn leads to global leadership self-efficacy, ethnorelative attitudes toward other cultures, accurate mental models of leadership across cultures, and flexibility of leadership styles. Our model has major implications for the selection and training of individuals, as well as organizational practices related to international job assignments from a developmental perspective.