A renewed perspective on the measurement of cross-cultural competence: An approach through personality traits and cross-cultural knowledge

The concept of cross-cultural competence (CCC) has generated considerable interest in the area of international business, but research still lacks solid measurement tools for this multidimensional construct. CCC is frequently operationalized with its components such as personality traits, but to what extent are those really linked to another dimension of CCC and therefore indicative of cross-cultural knowledge? This study combines measurement tools for two components of CCC: personality trait scales and critical incident technique. The tools are validated on a multinational sample of a working population. A structural model shows that most of the personality traits generally presented as predictive of CCC, do not significantly determine cross-cultural knowledge.