Adaptation Of Expatriates Research Articles

The importance of the role of time in the adaptation process of traditional emigrants

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The article’s primary goal is to identify the factors that contribute to traditional emigrants’ adaptation to foreign postings in international corporations in Poland, with particular emphasis on the role of time. At the same time, the essential intention of this research pilot is to verify the research tool.
 THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The article presents the current scientific achievements in expatriate adaptation, particularly emphasizing the longitudinal dimension. The pilot study results presented in the empirical part were carried out using the case study method, and the research tool was an interview questionnaire.
 THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: To better understand the motives, factors, barriers, and starting points that dynamically occur over time and influence adaptation in different dimensions and areas, Haslberger, Brewster, Hippler 3D model.
 RESEARCH RESULTS: The main goal of the qualitative pilot study was the initial exploration of the area of expatriate adaptation. The study results fill the research gap by a) using an innovative 3-D model, b) identifying the speci­fics of this model’s adjustment, importance, and challenges in the international context, and c) showing the crucial role of the longitudinal dimension in the adjustment process.
 CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Few Polish researchers dealing with the issue of emigrants’ adaptation have considered the role of time in this process. It should, therefore, be emphasized that this work is new in Polish literature and fills a research gap. Practitioners responsible for adapting expatriates (AEs), knowing the time needed for an AE to adapt to the delegation country’s culture, attitudes, and behaviors, can more effectively determine the goals the employee should achieve. Therefore, having a tool that indicates facilitating factors, motives, or barriers, they can more consciously prepare a training package before entering the market and adjust its intensity over time.

Cross-Cultural Challenges in Indonesian Workplaces: A Systematic Literature Review of Chinese Expatriate Adaptation in Companies in Indonesia

The growing number of Chinese expatriates in Indonesian companies has become an interesting subject for academics and business practitioners in cross-cultural management studies. The increasing number of Chinese workers entering Indonesia will make them experience barriers in communication. The existence of communication barriers when adapting will certainly have the potential for misunderstanding and even conflict. The way expatriates adapt to the new environment is something that needs to be considered, with differences in ethics and culture, it is feared that it can become a conflict in the business world. This research was conducted using the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method, a research method used to identify, analyze, evaluate, and interpret all previous research results obtained by researchers. The selected literature contained six articles that were in accordance with the research topic. The literature obtained discusses conflicts that often occur between Chinese workers and local workers due to cultural differences, such as differences in terms of work ethic, discipline, and non-verbal styles that can cause misunderstanding.

Cultural Intelligence to Cultural Adaptation of Expatriates in Thailand

Cultural diversity in the 21st century makes it imperative for managers to examine the multidimensional construct of cultural intelligence, aiming to solve cross-cultural problems, mitigate culture shock and promote a harmonious work environment. Using the quota sampling technique, this quantitative paper gathered data from three subgroups in Bangkok: Thai, Chinese and ASEAN employees from two organizations settings, consisting of heterogeneous and homogeneous employees. The relationship between the four dimensions of cultural intelligence proposed by Earley and Ang (2003), to sociocultural adaptation developed by Wilson (2013), and psychological adjustment developed by Demes and Geeraert (2014), was hypothesized. Results of Structural Equation Modeling, Multiple Group Analysis and ANOVA, fully or partially supported the predictions hypothesized, indicating differences on the dimensions of cultural intelligence and cultural adaptation across different sub-groups of expatriates, within a single national culture. The assumption of these findings is that expatriates exposed to a host culture, in contrast to their own, can be coached prior to an international assignment with cross-cultural capabilities, so as to avoid depersonalization while simultaneously mastering diverse skills in a cultural context in order to excel with job accomplishments and integration within a culture. The dual dimensions of sociocultural and psychological adjustment can be conceptualized independently, to procure an in-depth picture of expatriates from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Study on Cross-cultural Adaptation of Expatriates: A Case of GJWJ in India

As the world's leading and largest producer of stationery metal parts, GJWJ has entered India for more than 20 years and occupies more than 70% of the Indian stationery manufacturing market. This paper takes the expatriates of GJWJ in India as the research object to identify the problems of cross-cultural adaptation of these expatriates and explore some influencing factors through questionnaires and interviews. It is found that expatriates’ education, work experience, English proficiency, social support, social contact and religious factor are all related to psychological adaptation and sociocultural adaptation;among these related factors, expatriates’ education, work experience, English proficiency and religious factor have significant influence and predictive effect on cross-cultural adaptation;there are some problems of expatriates in cross-cultural adaptation during the assignment, such as problems in psychological adaptation, in religious beliefs, in cross-cultural training, in cultural integration, in work management and in social support.

The Impact of Workplace Environment on Expatriates’ Adaptation to New Workplace

As industrialization advances around the world, companies are expanding their operations to other regions of the world, resulting in an increase in demand for expatriates who are required to work outside of their home countries. Expatriates are faced with a lot of changes in the host country (cultural differences, language barrier, etc.) and may also encounter some troubles adapting to the workplace environment (physical environment of the office and the occupational health & safety, relationship with coworkers, working hours, workplace culture, etc.). The workplace environment can affect expatriate adaptation negatively or positively. The research results showed that employees who receive cultural and diversity training from their companies tend to be more productive and are at ease in their new roles. Companies are encouraged to establish a diversified environment for their employees in order to lower the likelihood of early repatriation.

Adaptation: Retrospection of a Decade

Expatriate adaptation refers to degree of fit between the expatriate's ideal requirements and his new environment. Extant literatures indicate that the success of multinational operations is overall dependent on successful adaptation of expatriates. However, as expatriate adaption evolves as an important subject in international management research, salient emerging issues need to be highlighted for the attention of researchers and industry players. This systematic review aggregates a decade (2012 – 2021) depth research. Systematic search was conducted on Scopus on 28th October 2021 and repeated accordingly on 3rd January 2022. Whence, 2,967 records were extracted. The methodology is based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework which emphasizes methodological steps of identification, screening, eligibility and included and ensures transparency and comprehensive reporting for critical judgement. Following the review panel parameters of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 67 articles were explored. Hence, descriptive analysis showed steady rise in research publications. 88% of the records found were empirical. Literature classification and analysis identified six (6) emerging themes including yopatriates, flexpatriates, female expatriates. academic expatriates, dual career couple expatriates, and expatriate hostile environment. We recommend investigation into these emerging themes in order to determine adaptation intricacies in each domain.

The influence of cross-cultural stable and dynamic competencies on expatriate adaptation and outcomes: the case of Taiwan

PurposeThis study investigates the influence of cross-cultural stable and dynamic competencies on expatriate adaptation and outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThis study surveys 10 expatriates in Taiwan and conducts qualitative analysis based on the newly collected original data.FindingsThe study's results confirm that cross-cultural stable and dynamic competencies improve expatriates' cross-cultural adaptation, enhancing expatriate outcomes in cross-cultural environments.Originality/valueThis study contributes to cross-cultural management research by clarifying the characteristics and action mechanisms of cross-cultural stable competencies (including cultural empathy, emotional stability, social initiative, open-mindedness and flexibility) and cross-cultural dynamic competencies (including relational skills, general self-efficacy and non-ethnocentrism) in the international business context. The study's findings suggest future research directions in the empirical investigation of the antecedents, characteristics and results of cross-cultural competencies, cross-cultural adaptation and expatriate outcomes.

Expatriate’s food adaptation: when does acculturation elicit social identification vs differentiation?

PurposeExtant literature informs that expatriates develop a natural inclination towards host country food with increased acculturation. However, this study argues that expatriates might have divergent goals in different domains of food adaptation (private vs public), which eventually sheds new light on their acculturation process. This paper aims to investigate how expatriate's adaptation in private vis-a-vis public domain influences their food consumption behavior.Design/methodology/approachThis study draws on the optimal distinctiveness theory and domain-specific view of adaptation and tests the food adaptation outcomes of expatriates’ acculturation through social interactions with the local community. A survey was conducted among 120 expatriate newcomers currently living and working in the Middle East.FindingsThe findings show that acculturation positively influences food adaptation in the private (local food consumption), whereas its relationship with food adaptation in the public domain (local restaurant visits) assumes an inverted U-shape. Furthermore, the authors find that the latter relationship is negatively moderated by expatriate’s overall experience and positively moderated by uncertainty avoidance, which also unfolds situations when an expatriate follows social identification vis-à-vis differentiation pattern.Originality/valueThis work goes beyond the traditional focus on acculturation through social identification and provides evidence that differentiation effects must also be accounted for. The authors argue and provide empirical evidence that expatriates’ greater social interactions with the local community result in different food adaptation outcomes when private vs public consumption domains are considered. In addition, by analyzing the moderating effects of expatriate experience and uncertainty avoidance, the authors further provide evidence on when social identification vis-à-vis differentiation prevails.

The impact of organizational position level and cultural flow direction on the relationship between cultural intelligence and expatriate cross-border adaptation

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the critical role played by cultural flow in fostering successful expatriate cross-border transitions.Design/methodology/approachThe authors develop and test a model on the interplay among cultural intelligence, organizational position level, cultural flow direction and expatriate adaptation, using a data set of 387 expatriate on cross-border transitions along the Belt & Road area.FindingsThe authors find that both organizational position level and cultural flow moderate the relationship between cultural intelligence and expatriate adaptation, whereby the relationship is contingent on the interaction of organizational position status and assignment directions between high power distance and low power distance host environments.Originality/valuePrevious research has shown that higher levels of cultural intelligence are positively related to better expatriate adaptation. However, there is a lack of research on the effect of position difference and cultural flow on such relationship. Our study is among the first to examine how the interaction between cultural flow and organizational position level influences the cultural intelligence (CI) and cultural adjustment relationship in cross-cultural transitions.

“Stepping out of the ordinary”: exploring cross-cultural challenges of expatriates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Purpose In the study of expatriation and expatriate adaptation, there are limited studies that focus on issues faced by expatriates working in foreign countries with very distinct cultures. This study aims to explore this idea through the experiences of western expatriates working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Two research questions were posed to examine the cross-cultural issues and challenges faced by expatriates in the KSA, as well as the role of cross-cultural training in expatriate adjustment. Design/methodology/approach The study was guided by an interpretivism paradigm through a qualitative method by using a semi-structured in-depth interview approach. Interviews were conducted among 12 expatriates from the USA and UK who are currently working in KSA. Findings A coding technique and theoretical thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the data. The results of this study highlighted three key themes that had a considerable influence on expatriates’ adjustment, in particular: culture shock, lack of pre-departure training and the demand for an extensive cross-cultural training. Research limitations/implications It is acknowledged that the existence of sub-cultures within the KSA would expose the respondents to varying cultural values within the community. Thus, future studies within a similar context should consider the influence of intra-cultural variations. Originality/value The findings of the study emphasized on the importance understanding the cultural gap between home and host country and the individual cultural awareness of the expatriate. It calls attention to the need for a tailored and extensive pre-departure, cross-cultural training and a collaborative effort between employees’ and managers to improve expatriates’ motivation and retention.

Underemployment of skilled self-initiated expatriates – a skill mismatch or categorisation?

ABSTRACT Despite excellent education and a rich working experience in their home countries, skilled expatriates struggle to find employment that matches their qualifications. This article goes beyond the dominant stress and emotions’ perspective on underemployment and presents the challenges of skilled migrant labour through the lens of the Common In-group Identity Model. It draws from the voices of expatriates and host-country nationals, and employs interviews and personal narratives to study the role of inter-group bias in social and occupational adaptation of skilled expatriates with focus on their underemployment. Its contribution lies in that expatriate employment challenges are examined not from a psychological but from a societal perspective. Thus, it increases our understanding of the factors that lead to underemployment among skilled workers. It also offers solutions to how the problem of underemployment can be overcome through recategorisation, as well as, points to differences in expatriate adaptation among self-initiated expatriates and international assignees.

Teaching with Cross-Cultural Simulations: Some Effects of BaFá BaFá

Intercultural simulations represent a useful instrument to improve intercultural competencies and cultural adaptation of expatriates. Existing research is mostly limited to the analysis of its affective outcomes. Based on Social Identity Theory and Experiential Learning Theory, we analyze the effects of the intercultural simulation BaFá BaFá on participants’ behavioral preferences as well as their behavioral choices in an Asian and a Western context. We assess the effects of BaFá BaFá for 190 international business students from Germany and 162 business economics students from Denmark. Our findings indicate that BaFá BaFá may improve participants’ ability to behave appropriately in foreign cultures. In particular, participants learn to adapt to dominant individualistic and collectivistic behavioral patterns in diverse cultures. The learning effects seem to be stronger for participants that were assigned to an artificial culture, which differs greatly from their own. We believe that taking the perspective of a contrary culture facilitates the first three phases of Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning cycle, concrete experience, reflective observation, and abstract conceptualization, and thus leads to enhanced learning. Our findings demonstrate the great potential of intercultural simulations for the preparation of expatriates and allow us to derive implications for the effective design of such interventions.

Career Development Support, Job Adaptation, and Withdrawal Intention of Expatriates: A Multilevel Analysis of Environmental Factors.

The present study aims to explore the impact of career development support on job adaptation and withdrawal intention, and the multilevel moderating role of host country environmental factors. Through the questionnaire survey, we collected 242 expatriates’ data of 25 countries from China’s multinational corporations. Based on the constructed multilevel analysis model, we find: (1) career development support has a significant impact on job adaptation and withdrawal intention of expatriates; (2) job adaptation plays a mediating role between career development support and withdrawal intention; and (3) host country environment plays the multilevel moderating role between career development support and job adaptation. Through the multilevel model of host country environment, this study explores the mechanism of how career development support affects job adaptation and withdrawal intention. The conclusions enhance the understanding of the adaptation of expatriates and have important theoretical and practical reference value to achieve successful expatriate in the context of host country environment.

Intercultural Adaptation Process and Its Determinants

The increasing trend of international mobility has intensified intercultural communication and expanded the requirements expected from international managers. The whole expatriation process represents a costly matter for the engaged companies. Detecting determinants of the intercultural adaptation can significantly minimaze the risk of failure during the foreign assignment. Moreover, the consideration should already be given in the beginning when the selection of eligible candidates for expatriation is done. The research objective of the paper is to investigate the determinants of intercultural adaptation of expatriates with international assignment experience and consequently to understand the complexity of the adaptation process while working abroad. Firstly, theoretical background reviews previous studies on adaptation process and cultural distance, intercultural competences and motivation as important factors. Next, primary data were obtained from Czech expatriates via questionnaire regardless the country of their foreign assignment. Additionally, the final model of intercultural adaptation was developed by applying a systematic thinking approach as an appropriate method emphasizing links and backward dynamics between the elements. The model is based on interaction of six determinants; such as: intercultural competences, language skills, intercultural training, past intercultural experience, motivation and cultural distance; that were identified from primary and secondary research as the most crucial variables. The findings lead to deeper understanding of the processes and help to improve the selection process of suitable candidate for foreign assignment and the intercultural training in order to reach higher level of adjustment.

Self-regulation and expatriate adjustment: The role of regulatory fit

In this paper, we draw on the construct of regulatory fit in explaining how expatriates manage interactional and work-related discrepancies in diverse cultural contexts. When expatriates go overseas, they are often faced with a set of expectations that are at variance with their home country norms and these differences in expectations generate discrepancies. The emergence of discrepancies in an alien cultural context exacerbates the uncertainties facing the expatriate, though the response to uncertainty varies between expatriates. We posit that expatriates with a promotion-focused self-regulatory system are focused on maximizing gains leading them to manage uncertainty through experimentation whereas expatriates with a prevention-focused self-regulatory system are oriented to minimizing losses leading them to manage uncertainty by persisting with the status-quo. Utilizing insights from motivational science and by linking the self-regulatory processes to the cultural context, we develop a framework and propositions for expatriate adaptation in loose and tight cultures. We present managerial implications of our model and offer guidance for testing the framework.

A Case Study on Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Transformative Learning of Expatriates

A Case Study on Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Transformative Learning of Expatriates

Motivations and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Self-Initiated Expatriates, Assigned Expatriates, and Immigrant Workers: The Case of Portuguese Migrant Workers in the United Kingdom

Only in recent years have immigrant workers, assigned expatriates, and self-initiated expatriates been distinguished from each other. This study contributes by offering empirically based comparative results based on interviews with 50 Portuguese citizens who moved to the United Kingdom, as self-initiated expatriates, assigned expatriates, and immigrant workers. The findings indicate that Portuguese self-initiated expatriates and assigned expatriates explored their opportunities before leaving Portugal, while immigrant workers explored them after arriving in the United Kingdom. Self-initiated expatriates and immigrant workers were driven by poor labor market situation in Portugal (e.g., unemployment, unchallenging tasks), but pull factors (e.g., professional international experience) were also identified as dominant motivators for both types of expatriates. Participants generally felt that their adaptation was easy in terms of the general (e.g., climate, food) and working (e.g., knowing one’s role and job ...

“China, why not?”: serious leisure and transmigrant runners’ stories from Beijing

The purpose of this study was to examine how amateur, serious distance runners negotiate their running practices upon transnational migration to China. Despite the extensive body of research into expatriate experiences and adaptation, serious leisure as a site where meaning-making occurs has not been studied in existing research. Through interviews with five female and two male expatriates, we studied the ways in which Western runners brought meaning to the transition experience and negotiated meanings and bodily practices associated with running. Through narrative analysis, we identified three core narratives of migration (possibility, necessity and growing up) and two emergent narratives (community and running to feel like oneself) about shifting meaning in running. We conclude with implications for future research in serious leisure and migration studies.

FEATURES OF CULTURAL AND LANGUAGE ADAPTATION OF RUSSIAN EXPATRIATES: THE PAST AND THE PRESENT

The paper focuses on the problems of cultural and language adaptation of Russian expatriates abroad. It reflects a certain stage of an extensive research project carried out by the “Social-Cognitive Functioning of the Russian Language” school lead by N. D. Golev. The paper verifies the author’s observations about the cultural and linguistic adaptation of Russian expatriates in foreign countries in different historical periods. It is based on the evidence gathered by the author in the countries of the Russian Diaspora, as well as on archive materials, including the family and library archives in Russia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Emotional Labor: An Examination of Faculty in Two Countries

Although there have been several studies on expatriate adjustment, acculturation and cultural adaptation to a foreign culture in service-driven occupations, there is a dearth of research in many areas. There have been few studies that have looked at jobs that have high emotional labor in the academic field in a cross-cultural context. This study attempts to fill this gap by examining a high emotional labor occupation - the teaching profession, by looking at two different samples of teaching faculty, in two different countries. Two different groups of faculty from the US one teaching in the US, and one teaching as expatriate faculty in China were compared. Findings revealed significant differences in perceptions of emotional labor, stressors and strains. The implications of these findings are discussed.