Although various antecedents of expatriates' cross‐cultural adjustment have been addressed, previous international experience, predeparture cross‐cultural training, and cultural intelligence (CQ) have been most frequently examined. However, there are few attempts that explore the effects of these antecedents simultaneously or consider the possible influencing variables that can impact cross‐cultural adjustment. In addition, empirical findings on the effects of these antecedents are somewhat mixed. Hence, there is a need for integrative studies exploring the mechanism of cross‐cultural adjustment to deepen understanding of how previous international experience, predeparture cross‐cultural training, and CQ affect expatriates' cross‐cultural adjustment. In this regard, we considered CQ as a variable that mediates the influences of previous international experience (work and nonwork) and predeparture cross‐cultural training (length and comprehensiveness) on cross‐cultural adjustment. Additionally, an expatriate's goal orientation was considered as a moderating variable that influences the effects of previous international experience and predeparture cross‐cultural training on CQ. Results using a sample of 190 Korean expatriates partially supported the hypotheses. The mediating effect of CQ and moderating effect of goal orientation were partially supported. The previous international nonwork rather than work experience and comprehensiveness rather than length of predeparture cross‐cultural training were more positively related to CQ. The theoretical contributions, practical implications for human resource development (HRD) practitioners, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively investigate the antecedents of expatriates' cultural intelligence (CQ) by simultaneously considering previous working experiences in one's home country prior to expatriation, the number of co-expatriates from their home country and local employees from the host country, perception of promotion opportunities, and self-monitoring. In addition, the paper aims to examine the moderating effects of expatriates' portion of interaction with local employee and knowledge on length of expatriation. Design/methodology/approach -Data were collected from 165 Korean expatriates using self-reported survey. Hypotheses were tested using multiple hierarchical regression analyses. Findings -Hypotheses were partially supported. Expatriates' previous working experiences with foreign nationals and in an overseas department in their home country were positively related to CQ. As expected, whereas the number of co-expatriates from home country was negatively related to CQ, the number of local employees in the host country was positively associated with CQ. Expatriates' perception of a promotion opportunity and self-monitoring were positively related to CQ. In addition, moderating effects of expatriates' portion of interaction with local employees and knowledge on the length of their foreign assignment were found. Originality/value -This study contributes to deepen understanding about expatriates' CQ by considering various antecedents, such as previous experiences, human resource practices, and dispositions. The authors' results provide practical implications for multinational companies.

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