Collaborating across cultures: Cultural metacognition and affect-based trust in creative collaboration

• Published in: Organizational behavior and human decision processes Vol. 118; no. 2; pp. 116 - 131
• Main Authors: Chua, Roy Y.J., Morris, Michael W., Mor, Shira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Inc 01.07.2012; Elsevier; Elsevier Science Publishing Company, Inc
• Subjects: Assessment; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition; Collaboration; Creativity; Cross-cultural analysis; Cultural differences; Culture; Emotion; Emotions; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Intelligence; Intelligenz; Intercultural relations; Interkulturelle Kompetenz; Interkulturelles Management; Kreativität; Metacognition; Organizational behavior; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Social interactions. Communication. Group processes; Social networks; Social psychology; Studies; Surveys; Task performance; Test; Trust; Vertrauen; Intercultural relations; Trust; Creativity; Culture; Metacognition; Social environment; Human; Affect affectivity; Cognition; Social interaction; Cooperation; Cultural environment; Intergroup relation
• ISSN: 0749-5978; 1095-9920
• DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2012.03.009

► We study how cultural metacognition influence creative collaboration in dyads. ► High cultural metacognition in dyads engenders affect-based trust and creativity. ► Affect-based trust mediates effects of cultural metacognition on creativity. We propose that managers adept at thinking about their cultural assumptions (cultural metacognition) are more likely than others to develop affect-based trust in their relationships with people from different cultures, enabling creative collaboration. Study 1, a multi-rater assessment of managerial performance, found that managers higher in metacognitive cultural intelligence (CQ) were rated as more effective in intercultural creative collaboration by managers from other cultures. Study 2, a social network survey, found that managers lower in metacognitive CQ engaged in less sharing of new ideas in their intercultural ties but not intracultural ties. Study 3 required participants to work collaboratively with a non-acquaintance from another culture and found that higher metacognitive CQ engendered greater idea sharing and creative performance, so long as they were allowed a personal conversation prior to the task. The effects of metacognitive CQ in enhancing creative collaboration were mediated by affect-based trust in Studies 2 and 3.