Facilitating expatriate adjustment: The role of advice-seeking from host country nationals

2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 476-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashish Mahajan ◽  
Soo Min Toh
Keyword(s):  
Host Country ◽  
Expatriate Adjustment ◽  
Host Country Nationals ◽  
Advice Seeking

The categorization of expatriates and the support offered by host country nationals

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley C. Sonesh ◽  
Angelo S. DeNisi
Keyword(s):  
Host Country ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Host Country Nationals ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Expatriate Assignments ◽  
The Right ◽  
National Stereotypes

Purpose – Although several authors have suggested that host country nationals (HCNs) play an important role in the management of expatriates (e.g. Toh and DeNisi, 2003; Farh et al., 2010), research has also suggested that this relationship is not always good, and the flow of critical information to expatriates can be limited. This is especially true when HCNs categorize the expatriates as “out-group” members. The purpose of this paper is to examine potential determinants of categorization decisions as well as potential outcomes related to expatriate socialization. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs a dyadic survey approach to determine the antecedents to expatriate categorization and HCN socialization behaviors from the perspective of both the expatriate and HCN. Findings – The results of survey data from 65 expatriate-HCN dyads indicated that expatriate ethnocentrism and the salience of the expatriates’ nationality were important predictors of categorization, but that categorization was related to only one dimension of socialization. However, affect was found to play a role in predicting socialization behaviors. Research limitations/implications – There is potential selection bias since expatriates chose HCNs as respondents, but results suggested this was not a serious problem. Other limitations include a relatively small sample size and the fact that a number of contextual issues such as national stereotypes and MNC strategy, are not controlled for. Practical implications – Implications of these findings for the successful management of expatriate assignments include sending over expatriates with the right relational skills, and those low in ethnocentrism, rather than just the right technical skills. Originality/value – The present study was one of the first to empirically test the potential role of categorization in the process of socialization.

Host country national support to expatriates: a motivated information processing perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Jae Yoon ◽  
Arup Varma ◽  
Anastasia Katou ◽  
Youngjae Cha ◽  
Soohyun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Host Country ◽  
Social Motivation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Expatriate Adjustment ◽  
Host Country Nationals ◽  
Epistemic Motivation ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Motivated Information Processing

PurposeThe support of host country nationals (HCNs) is a key determinant of expatriate adjustment and performance. The purpose of this paper is to explore underlying motivations for their support to expatriates. Previous research has shown that HCNs with pro-social motivation are more likely to help expatriates. Drawing upon motivated information processing in groups (MIP-G) theory, the authors test whether epistemic motivation moderates the observed relationship between pro-social motivation and HCNs’ support toward expatriates.Design/methodology/approachThe authors ran two correlational studies (N = 267) in the USA (Study 1) and South Korea (Study 2). Across two studies, epistemic motivation and social motivation were measured using their multiple proxies validated in previous research. The authors also measured HCNs’ willingness to offer role information and social support to a hypothetical expatriate worker.FindingsResults lend support to our hypotheses that pro-social HCNs are more willing than pro-self HCNs to provide role information and social support to the expatriates, but this occurs only when they have high rather than low epistemic motivation.Originality/valueThe current paper contributes the literature on HCNs helping expatriates by qualifying the prior results that a pro-social motivation (e.g. agreeableness and collectivism) increases the willingness of HCNs to help expatriates. As hypothesized, this study found that that case is only true when HCNs have high, rather than low, epistemic motivation. Also, previous research on MIP-G theory has mainly focused on the performance of small groups (e.g. negotiation, creativity and decision-making). To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first attempt to test MIP-G theory in the context of HCNs helping expatriates.

scholarly journals The Role of Extraversion and Openness on Host Country Nationals’ Task Performance and Contextual Performance at Work

2021 ◽  
Vol Volume 14 ◽  
pp. 169-183
Author(s):  
Milad T Jannesari ◽  
Zhongming Wang ◽  
Jianzhuang Zheng ◽  
Wenwu Xie ◽  
Qin Lai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Host Country ◽  
Contextual Performance ◽  
Host Country Nationals

scholarly journals A diary study of expatriate adjustment: Collaborative mechanisms of social support

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Secil Bayraktar
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Home Country ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Cultural Adjustment ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Diary Study ◽  
International Assignments ◽  
Expatriate Adjustment ◽  
Host Country Nationals

Understanding the antecedents of expatriate adjustment is vital for the success of international assignments. Social support is one of the most critical predictors of cross-cultural adjustment. Nevertheless, the nuances and interaction of diverse sources and types of support in the expatriates’ social networks need further scrutiny. This study examines the distinct and collaborative role of four different social groups in the expatriates’ social network, specifically host country nationals, home country nationals, compatriots, and foreign expatriates, on expatriate adjustment. For that purpose, an exploratory qualitative approach was adopted by using a diary study. The study was conducted with 42 single expatriates working in 21 different countries. The results showed that the nature of support provided by each social group was distinct, contributing to expatriate adjustment via different mechanisms. Moreover, it was found that these mechanisms worked collaboratively toward facilitating the expatriate adjustment.

The Role of the Manager in the Middle East: An Empirical Study of Multinational Companies

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 887-900
Author(s):  
Aissa Mosbah ◽  
Jaithen Alharbi ◽  
Abdulla Fetais ◽  
Ibrahim Alkandi
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Host Country ◽  
Home Country ◽  
Multinational Companies ◽  
Resource Dependency ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Host Country Nationals ◽  
Number Of Factors

This article is an empirical investigation into the role of the CEO manager in the affiliates of multinational corporations operating in the Middle East. Grounded in a literature review of the reasons for employing either parent country nationals (PCNs) or host country nationals (HCNs) in top management position in foreign subsidiaries, a number of factors influencing the choice between these alternatives are identified. Using a data collected from 147 multinational companies (MNCs) operating in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the influence of each of these factors on this selection is empirically tested with the help of primary data. The study proposed that the relationship between the home and host country managers could be linked to agency theory (with the ‘classical’ principal–agent relationship) and to resource dependency theory (implying relations between the branch and other partners based on interdependence). Our results show that the agency and resource dependency mechanisms are indeed used side by side and complementary to each other to exercise control. Home country managers can strategize to implement control by the informal and social means by positioning a sizeable number of managers from the home country within the subsidiary. Indeed, our results revealed this as true.

International adjustment of female vs male business expatriates. A replication study in Switzerland

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Salamin ◽  
Eric Davoine
Keyword(s):  
Host Country ◽  
Cultural Adjustment ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
International Assignments ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Expatriate Adjustment ◽  
Host Country Nationals ◽  
French Speaking

Purpose – Reasons for women’s underrepresentation in international assignments include stereotypical assumptions within organizations about their ability to adjust abroad and more broadly a lack of trust from the corporate headquarters. Female expatriates’ adjustment may strongly vary depending on the host country and on host-country nationals’ attitudes toward them. Yet up until today, very few studies have examined female expatriate adjustment in a single and non-Asian host country. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap by comparing the cross-cultural adjustment of male and female expatriates in Switzerland. Design/methodology/approach – This study replicates Selmer and Leung’s (2003a) study design in order to compare adjustment of male and female expatriates working in multinational companies in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Based on 152 valid questionnaires collected, the authors performed a multivariate analysis of covariance and further analyses of covariance to compare male and female expatriate adjustment. Findings – The authors find that female expatriates have significantly higher interaction and work adjustment levels than their male counterparts, while no significant differences between men and women were observed in terms of general adjustment. These findings in a European context are consistent with those of Selmer and Leung in an Asian context. Originality/value – Very few studies to date have examined the adjustment of female expatriates in a western host-country context, despite the fact that host-country cultural norms might strongly influence women’s experiences. The research brings new empirical evidence about cross-cultural adjustment of female and male expatriates in a western location. Contrary to persistent stereotypical assumptions, results emphasize again that women are able to adjust better or at least as well as their male counterparts.

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