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.

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.

scholarly journals Personality And Expatriate Performance: The Mediating Role Of Expatriate Adjustment

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Subramaniam Sri Ramalu ◽  
Raduan Che Rose ◽  
Naresh Kumar ◽  
Jegak Uli
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Cultural Adjustment ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
The Body ◽  
Expatriate Adjustment ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Cross Cultural Management ◽  
The Relationship

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; color: black; font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-GB">This paper investigates the relationship between personality and job performance, and the mediating role of cross-cultural adjustment (CCA) in that relationship. Based on sample of 332 expatriates working in Malaysia, personality predicts job performance, and both the interaction and work adjustment mediates the relationship. The findings of this study contributes to the body of knowledge in the cross-cultural management field as well as practical implication to expatriating firms especially in the area of selection of international candidates.</span></p>

scholarly journals International projects and cross-cultural adjustments of British expatriates in Middle East: A qualitative investigation of influencing factors

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 31-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashwini Konanahalli ◽  
Lukumon O. Oyedele ◽  
Ron Coates ◽  
Jason Von Meding ◽  
John Spillane
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Host Country ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Cultural Adjustment ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
International Assignments ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Expatriate Adjustment ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Additional Support

 Increased globalisation within the British AEC (Architectural Engineering and Construction) sector has increased the need for companies to transfer their staff to manage their overseas operations. To be able to perform abroad, expatriates must harmonise themselves to the conditions prevailing in the host country. These include getting accustomed to living, working and interacting with the host country nationals. The process is commonly referred to as ‘cross-cultural adjustment’. Various factors influence the process of adjustment. In order to identify these issues, a qualitative study was undertaken, which mainly comprised of a comprehensive literature review and interviews with British expatriates working on international AEC assignments in Middle Eastern countries. The current study focuses on exploring the role of the organisation, host country, work related factors and their ability to dictate a British expatriate's adjustment. The findings suggest that success of expatriation does not entirely rest on an expatriate's ability but also on organisational support and assistance that expatriates receive prior to and during the assignment. Organisational factors such as, selection mechanisms, job design, training, logistical and social support, mentoring, etc., influence various aspects of expatriate adjustment. Striking cultural contrasts between British and Arab culture both in work and non work situations also dictate the level of support required by the expatriate, suggesting that expatriate relocation to less developed, remote or politically unstable regions, demands additional support and consideration by the parent company. This study is relevant to the AEC companies employing British expatriates, who need to be cognisant of the issues highlighted above to make rational and informed decisions when handling international assignments in the Middle East.

Burden or support? The influence of partner nationality on expatriate cross-cultural adjustment

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Davies ◽  
Albert Kraeh ◽  
Fabian Froese
Keyword(s):  
Host Country ◽  
Home Country ◽  
Cultural Adjustment ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Relational Demography ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Expatriate Adjustment

Purpose – The family and specifically, the partners of expatriates are unfortunately the major cause of expatriate maladjustment. Drawing from and extending the concept of relational demography, the purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of the nationality of expatriates’ partners, conceptualized as host, home or third country nationality, on expatriates’ cross-cultural adjustment. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data from 299 expatriate academics in China, Japan and South Korea were analysed. The authors used confirmatory factor analyses to validate the scales and ANCOVA to test the hypotheses. To further understand the interactions effects the authors conducted simple slopes analysis. Findings – Results show that differences in expatriate academics’ cross-cultural adjustment are not per se based on the different nationality of their partners, but are mainly due to an interaction effect of partner nationality and length of stay in host country. Expatriates with host country national partners perceived the highest increase in cross-cultural adjustment over time, followed by those with third country national partners, whereas those with home country partners did not experience any increase in cross-cultural adjustment. Research limitations/implications – The study was based on a cross-sectional survey of expatriate academics in Asia. Thus, longitudinal, multisource data from various contexts would increase validity and generalizability of findings. Despite these limitations, the study provided new and intriguing findings. The theory and empirical evidence underscore the importance of expatriate partner nationality and thereby, relational demography between expatriate partners and expatriates. Practical implications – The research aims to emphasize the important role that expatriate partners can play concerning the success of expatriate cross-cultural adjustment. Greater attention should be paid to the adjustment processes of expatriates and their partners to facilitate expatriate cross-cultural adjustment. Originality/value – The authors are among the first to study the influence of nationality, conceptualized as host, home country or third country nationality, of expatriates’ partners on expatriates’ cross-cultural adjustment by applying the concept of relational demography. Moreover, the authors look at the role that time in the host country has on the partner’s influence on expatriate adjustment.

scholarly journals The paradox role of extraversion in the cross-cultural adjustment process of Asian expatriates

2019 ◽  
Vol Volume 12 ◽  
pp. 179-194
Author(s):  
Asia Rafiq ◽  
Sharjeel Saleem ◽  
Mohsin Bashir ◽  
Arfan Ali
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Adjustment ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Adjustment Process ◽  
The Cross

Self-esteem of parents with intellectually disabled children in relation to the support of selected social groups

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Guzowski ◽  
E. Krajewska–Kułak
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
Disabled Children ◽  
Intellectually Disabled ◽  
General Support ◽  
Sources Of Support

Introduction: In the literature on the problem of social support, besides family sources of support, (husband, wife, children, parents, siblings, relatives), a role of friends, acquaintances and neighbors is emphasized. Purpose: To assess types and level of support that parents receive from specific social groups. Materials and methods: The study included 108 mothers and 108 fathers of intellectually disabled children. We used the original questionnaire and the standardized scale of Social Support by KmiecikBaran. Results: There were differences between the parents in emotional support (standard deviation 3.519), the lowest in informative support (deviation 2.744). General support was poor in the opinion of 34.6% of the parents. Average institutional support related to 42.9% of the parents, strong evaluative support – 37.1% and strong emotional support – 41%. The parents received the strongest informative, institutional, evaluative and emotional support from nurses and physicians. Spouses of the examined gave them poor informative, emotional and institutional support and average evaluative support. Statistically, the fathers received significantly stronger evaluative and emotional support – by more than one point, and by more than 3 points in case of general support than mothers. Conclusions: The parents received average social support, however, it was below the average for the Polish adult population. The spouses gave them poor informative, emotional and institutional support and average evaluative support; teachers, physicians and nurses – average support in all categories, however, in case of the two latter – institutional and evaluative support was close to the above-average values. The fathers enjoyed moderately stronger evaluative, emotional and general support from teachers, physicians and nurses than mothers.

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