Expatriate Social Ties: Personality Antecedents and Consequences for Adjustment

Abstract

This expaloratory study examines the relationship between personality characteristics (extraversion, core self evaluations), social tie characteristics (number, breadth, depth), and three types of expatriate adjustment (general, interaction, and work). Data was collected at two points in time from 75 expatriate employees from one organization on international assignments around the world. Results indicate that core self-evaluations, but not extraversion, are positively related to the number of ties formed with other expatriates and host country nationals. Social ties with other expatriates were found to provide greater social support, but similar access to information, than those with host country nationals (HCNs). In general, depth and breadth of relationships with other expatriates predicted general and work adjustment; whereas, breadth and total number of relationships with HCNs predicted all three types of adjustment. Overall, these results provide initial support for the importance of social ties in facilitating expatriate adjustment.

Expatriate adjustment in the digital age: The co-creation of online social support resources through blogging

“…Contacts in the host country provide social support that facilitates adjustment by providing personalized information and local interpretation schemas and by sharing personal accounts and stories, which help expatriates make sense of discrepancies or problems, identify solutions and appropriate actions, and feel better about themselves and their situation (Bailey, 1969;Farh et al, 2010;Glanz et al, 2001;Johnson et al, 2003;Long & Roberts, 1984;Wolf, 1966). Social contacts who are also expatriates can additionally provide reassurance that anxiety and frustration is both normal and temporary.…”

“…Traditionally in the expatriate literature, social support resources have been conceptualized as social contacts, often referred to as social brokers (Farh et al, 2010;Glanz et al, 2001;Johnson et al, 2003;Sobre-Denton & Hart, 2008). Given that in a face-to-face setting, an expatriate cannot access a message absent a relationship with a social contact, this conceptualization is not surprising.…”

“…Research has established the critical role of social support provided by contacts in the host country to expatriates' adjustment to foreign environments (Farh et al, 2010;Glanz, Williams, & Hoeksema, 2001;Johnson, Kristof-Brown, Van Vianen, & De Pater, 2003;Manev & Stevenson, 2001;Sobre-Denton & Hart, 2008). Contacts in the host country provide social support (Adelman, 1988), which, in the context of adjustment to foreign environments, is defined as communication that helps individuals manage uncertainty and ambiguity and increases their perceptions of control regarding life (Albrecht & Adelman, 1987;Albrecht, Goldsmith, & Thompson, 2003).…”

La constitution et la structuration des réseaux sociaux : un facteur clé de succès de l’expatriation

“…La familia desempeña un papel primordial en la creación de los vínculos fuertes necesarios para la adaptación del expatriado y actúa asimismo como activador de vínculos más heterogéneos en el seno de las redes sociales abiertas. (Wang et Kanungo, 2004) ou l'adaptation interculturelle du cadre (Caligiuri, 2000;Johnson et al, 2003) et de son conjoint (Shaffer et Harrison, 2001). Tous s'accordent à souligner l'importance cruciale des liens sociaux et leur poids dans le succès de l'expatriation.…”

A Continent Moving West? : EU Enlargement and Labour Migration from Central and Eastern Europe

“…Professional networks are generally homogenous when it comes to the occupations of their members. This was not typical for the experienced Hungarian and Romanian professionals only; expatriates were found to spend much of their time socialising with other expatriates in their host country who usually have similar occupations, rather than with host country nationals or their co-ethnics (Johnson, Kristof-Brown, Van Vianen, De Pater & Klein 2003). This suggests that foreign professionals sought relationships with like-minded people sharing professions, experiences or relevant characteristics.…”