Cultural Intelligence and its Relationship with Entrepreneurial Characteristics of Managers in Iranian NGOs

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between cultural quotient or intelligence (CQ) and entrepreneurial characteristics in non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The research is done on the basis of the correlational method. Data are gathered from 244 founders of NGOs in the Tehran Province and two questionnaires are distributed to measure the CQ and entrepreneurial characteristics. The results show that there are deep relationships between the four-factor model of CQ and all dimensions of entrepreneurial characteristics. Accordingly, ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬the behavioral CQ and cognitive CQ demonstrate a causal relationship with entrepreneurial characteristics at 0.01 levels. Therefore, promoting the behavioral and cognitive CQ has a direct effect on entrepreneurship. This paper indicates that CQ can be considered as a vital factor for successful management of an NGO. These results can also be used to explore the necessary characteristics for multicultural workplace. Additionally, this paper introduces a new idea for academic studies and practicable cultural experiences.