Team climate and performance in global virtual teams: exploring the effects of cultural intelligence and emotional intelligence on team climate satisfaction

The literature has largely overlooked the role of multiple intelligences in Global Virtual Teams (GVTs). Based on a global data set including 723 individuals from 37 countries working in 218 GVTs, the present study aims to explore the impact of emotional intelligence (EQ) and cultural intelligence (CQ) on improving team climate satisfaction and, in turn, the effect of team climate satisfaction on the performance in GVTs. The multilevel analysis results show that team climate satisfaction mediates the effects of EQ and CQ on performance in GVTs. At the individual level, team members’ satisfaction with the team climate negatively mediates the relationship between team members’ EQ and CQ and their performance in GVTs. In contrast, at the team level, the average team climate satisfaction positively mediates the relationship between the average EQ and CQ of team members and the collective performance in GVTs. We discuss the implications for research and practice.