Assessing the Levels of Cultural Intelligence among Human Resource Managers and Academics in Bulgaria: Implications for the Local Culturally Diverse Workforce

Workforce and education are going through significant changes during the tumultuous redefining of the global socio-economic landscape. In the context of revised globalization, this paper investigates the similarities and differences in the levels of cultural intelligence (CQ) between Bulgarian human resource managers (recruiters) and university professors. Cultural intelligence theory is often used to assess the intercultural competence of organizational leaders and employees. Bulgaria is facing increased internationalization of both higher education and workforce structure, at the moment. The rise in third-country employment in Bulgarian industry poses the question of whether recruiters and their companies are ready to integrate foreign workers. The paper presents results from comparisons of CQ levels between 118 Bulgarian recruiters and 455 Bulgarian academics. Research methods include descriptive statistics and correlational analysis. The study employs three hypotheses – H1: There is no significant difference between levels of communication difficulties among Bulgarian HR managers and university professors; H2: There is a significant difference in the overall CQ levels between Bulgarian HR managers and university professors, with the metacognitive and motivational CQ dimensions bearing the largest difference; H3: There are correlations between CQ and professional experience of Bulgarian HR experts. Results show that H1 is confirmed, H2 and H3 are rejected. The text suggests applicable solutions to increase CQ levels among both groups, and discusses the possible outcomes for culturally diverse HEIs and workforce. Analysis is based on the measured intercultural competence of academics and recruiters, and the nexus between the roles of universities and employers in increasing cultural diversity.