Previous research on cultural adaptation has focused on the challenges and outcomes associated with long-term adaptation to a foreign culture. Little has focused on the dynamics of cultural adaptation within single interactions, which are the building blocks of these long-term patterns. I fill this gap by introducing the concept of cross-cultural code-switching and providing an account of the psychological challenges people face in successfully adapting their behavior in foreign cultural interactions. I thank Beta Mannix, three anonymous reviewers, Joel Brockner, Jane Dutton, Adam Grant, Richard Hackman, Joshua Margolis, and Jim Walsh for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript.
In order to produce a beneficial result, professionals must sometimes cause harm to another human being. To capture this phenomenon, we introduce the construct of "necessary evils" and explore the inherent challenges such tasks pose for those who must perform them. Whereas previous research has established the importance of treating victims of necessary evils with interpersonal sensitivity, we focus on the challenges performers face when attempting to achieve this prescribed standard in practice.
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