Chapter 2: Theoretical Background

This chapter is structured in three parts. While in the first one, we present the systematic literature review approach and methodology, in the second, we propose the literature review for our four main variables, aim for interconnections and underline the research gaps. In the last and third part, we execute a bibliometric study that points toward our possible first answers to our research hypothesis – from the literature review perspective.

To examine the existing literature on the subjects of cultural intelligence (CQ), knowledge dynamics (KD), organizational context (OC), and multicultural leadership (ML), we used different methodological steps. First, we have defined the research variables and the research model. In the second step, we search for specific variables in books and journal papers since 2018 in well-known academic databases (such as Scopus, Web of Science, JSTOR, SpringerLink, Google Scholar, Business Source Complete, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Taylor and Francis, Emerald Insight, and Wiley Online Library) by using relevant keywords and expressions. From this, the published articles (between 2018 and 2023) on the subsequent variables and the most complete versions of the studies were included in the literature review. After having analyzed at first hand all the recent literature reviews (last 6 years), as a third step, we have extended and enhanced the study within the last 30 years in order to capture all the relevant and classic theories that have built the variables and their possible interconnections.