| The purpose of this sequential, mixed methods study was to examine the relationship of cultural understanding and business success in MENA and evaluate United States business leaders' and professionals' self-perceived levels of cultural competence and cross-cultural lived experience when conducting business outside of the United States. A purposive sample of 174 participants from different industries around the globe were used for this study. The quantitative data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics and multiple regressions. Findings indicated no statistically significant relationship found between cultural awareness, gender, employment level, and cross-border experience while significant with age, education, tenure, foreign language proficiency. The Findings also indicated no statistically significant relationship found between perceived cultural barriers, gender, education, employment level, tenure, and cross-border experience. Significant relationships were found between cultural barriers, age, and foreign language proficiency. A moderate inference can only be drawn from the low Spearman coefficient correlation values found. Post-survey online in-depth interview questions was conducted to clarify the quantitative results. NVivo was used to analyze the responses and four themes emerged from the data. The qualitative findings indicated a communal link with the quantitative data results. The findings and recommendations showed that incorporating culture of host nations within leadership practice and expatriate training can lead to an increase of business global leadership competencies. This can improve workforce cross-cultural sensitivity and helps leaders create dynamic capabilities for competitive advantage. A leadership practices model developed in this study provides a suitable framework and salient business strategy component for corporations seeking to expand successfully. |
