Global management competencies: a theoretical foundation

Purpose – This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the concept of “global management competencies”. Design/methodology/approach – An extensive review of most of the relevant literature on global management competencies was done. By investigating four constructs, i.e. the global mindset, cross‐cultural competence, intercultural sensitivity and cultural intelligence, all related to “global management competencies” the authors made an in‐depth investigation of the contributing organizational behaviour components, the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other personality characteristics (the KSAOs), useful for a construct of global management competencies. Findings – A configuration of the above components as an integrative model was developed. This model could serve as the basis for the development of measurement instruments. Originality/value – The construct of global management competencies, albeit with different labels and in different disguise, has received a lot of attention in the last two decades but has not been conceptualised satisfactorily. This article is an attempt to do so.