Association Between a Global Competency and Cross-cultural Adaptation

Abstract

This study tried to verify how the global competency and personality characteristics of expatriates have an effect on the expatriate's work engagement and cross-cultural adaptation in a reality where the role and job performance of overseas expatriates is growing in importance. In addition, in the relationship between global competency and personality traits on cross-cultural adaptation through work engagement, this study tried to examine how career vision acts as a moderated moderated-mediation effect. The specific hypothesis tested the mediation effect of work engagement in the relationship between global competency and cross-cultural adaptation, and whether there is a moderated-mediation effect through the interaction between conscientiousness and career vision in such mediating model. In order to achieve the purpose of this study, a survey was conducted on Korean expatriates, and the final data of 164 people were analyzed. As a result, the mediation effect of global competency increasing cross-cultural adaptation through work engagement was verified. When the career vision and the conscientiousness were high, it was found that expatriates with high global competency increased their work engagement and had a positive effect on cross-cultural adaptation. However, when the career vision was low and conscientiousness was high, it was found that expatriates with high global competency had relatively low work engagement and had a negative effect on cross-cultural adaptation. Based on these results, the meaning, implications, limitations, and future research of the study were discussed.