Circular HR and Pluralistic Workplaces: A Systematic Review of Cultural Intelligence, Its Impact on Competency, and Diversity Integration

In today's rapidly evolving organizations, characterized by increased diversity driven by immigration, technological advancements, and globalization, organizations face the challenge of effectively managing pluralistic environments. This necessitates the expansion of innovative competencies and talent across individual, managerial, as well as organizational levels to maintain competitiveness. Cultural intelligence (CI) emerges as a critical concept for fostering better integration of diversity and promoting competency in diverse teams. This paper explores the role of CI in facilitating diversity integration and managing competencies within pluralistic workplaces. Drawing from a comprehensive review spanning from 2012 to 2023, encompassing 22 selected papers, the study presents insights into the nuanced relationship between CI, diversity integration, and competency development. Additionally, it introduces a theoretical model to clarify how cultural intelligence (CI) affects the integration of competencies and diversity within the Circular HR framework. By synthesizing literature and the author's perspective about pluralistic teams, this work provides practical suggestions for managers with the objective of enhancing team development and management policies. Competency and diversity remain key to the realization of excellence in organizations, and this research provides important input for how organizations can handle current challenges toward the opening of an era of Circular HR.