On the relevance of cultural intelligence to technology acceptance

Technology acceptance has been widely studied in information systems (Venkatesh et al., 2003) as several theories were developed explaining behavioral characteristics of individuals in accepting information technology. With the growth of globalization, technology is overcoming cultural barriers and is no longer isolated in usage and design. In the context of technology usage, technologies are developed to be used globally (Gregory et al., 2003). Studies have been conducted to explain how culture affects technology acceptance, but most of them are focused on an individual’s national culture. We were not able to find studies that link openness to other cultures — often referred as “cultural intelligence” (CQ) — to technology acceptance. This study explores the concept of cultural intelligence and its impact on technology acceptance. A survey consisting of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the CQ scale is presented to explore the impact, if any, of CQ on technology acceptance.