This paper explores the role of curiosity in promoting cross-cultural knowledge creation
and competence development. It is based on a study with four international higher
educational institutions, all of which offer management and business education for local
and international students. The reality of multicultural and intercultural relationships is
researched using constructivist grounded theory method, with data collected through indepth
interviews, long-term observation and participation, and discussion of the social
reality as it was experienced by the participants. The study applies the concepts of
cultural knowledge development, cross-cultural competence and cultural distance. Based
on the comparative analysis, curiosity emerged as a personal condition conducive to the
cultural knowledge development process. The paper presents a cross-cultural
competence development process model, which takes into account the cultural curiosity
of the learners. The paper also provides tentative recommendations for the steps that
knowledge-creating multicultural organizations can take to develop cross-cultural
exchange, cultural knowledge creation and cross-cultural competence development.peer-reviewe
