Regulatory foci and expatriate adjustment

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between regulatory foci and expatriate adjustment and further compares the differences in the aforementioned relationship between promotion focus and prevention focus.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a convenient sampling method to survey expatriates who work for multinational enterprises and have been expatriated for at least six months.FindingsBased on an analysis of 158 Taiwanese expatriates in Mainland China, Thailand, India, Saudi Arabia, and so forth, this study found that promotion focus was positively related to the expatriates’ office interaction adjustment and work adjustment; and prevention focus was positively related to the expatriates’ general adjustment, office interaction adjustment, and work adjustment. Moreover, expatriates’ prevention focus accounted for more variance in the expatriates’ general adjustment, office interaction adjustment, and work adjustment than did that of expatriates’ promotion focus.Originality/valuePersonality traits are regarded as among the most important antecedents of expatriate cross-cultural adjustment. This study suggests that expatriates’ regulatory foci could perhaps explain their adjustment issues in the host country. However, it seems no study has explored the role played by expatriates’ regulatory foci in expatriate adjustment.