Strangers in a Strange Land

Abstract

To get a firsthand look at how an international workforce manages the American cultural environment, I surveyed nearly 600 foreign service nationals working in the U.S. State Department. Foreign service nationals are non-American, locally hired employees at American diplomatic and consular posts. They occupy a unique organizational position as liaisons between American staff and host nations and are invaluable in ensuring that American diplomatic posts are functional. They comprise the bulk of the 42,000 locally employed staff members working at more than 250 U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide and are frequently considered the glue that holds embassies together (U.S. State Department 2007).