Do expatriates adjust better when they seek advice from host country nationals? Role of perceived social costs and organizational support in advice-seeking

Abstract

Our study examines the impact of perceived organizational support (POS) and perceived social costs (PSC) in advice-seeking on the relationship between expatriate advice-seeking from host country nationals (HCNs) and expatriate adjustment. We conducted two studies: (1) a field study with survey data collected from Indian expatriates in the U.S. and (2) an experimental study. Findings from our research reveal a significant three-way interaction between expatriate advice-seeking, POS, and PSC. Specifically, the moderating effect of POS was more pronounced among expatriates perceiving low social costs in seeking advice from HCNs. PSC emerged as a significant barrier to expatriate adjustment, outweighing the positive effects of high POS. However, when expatriates perceive low PSC in advice-seeking, organizational support becomes more effective compared to situations with high perceived social costs. This research advances the understanding of expatriate coping and organizational support theory by highlighting the boundary conditions of POS in facilitating expatriate adjustment.