Purpose
– Cultural intelligence (CQ) has transcended its role of adaptation to local values toward narrowing the cultural gap between foreign stakeholders and local stakeholders in the supply chain. The purpose of this paper is to decipher the catalyzing role of CQ in its chain effect, through corporate social responsibility and trust, to supply chain performance and competitive intelligence (CI).
Design/methodology/approach
– The proof for the research model was derived from the SEM-based analysis of cross-sectional data provided by 392 respondents from MNCs in Vietnamese business landscape.
Findings
– Findings, from this inquiry, produce the evidence for the positive effect of all four dimensions of CQ (metacognitive, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral CQ) on ethical and legal CSR, as well as knowledge-based and identity-based trust, which leverage supply chain performance. The connectivity between supply chain performance and CI was also established.
Originality/value
– Supply chain literature, from this research model, has increased its breadth with the novel role of CQ and stakeholder-oriented levers such as CSR in heightening supply chain performance.