The Dimensions of Expatriate Acculturation: A Review

Mendenhall, Mark E.; Oddou, Gary

doi:10.2307/258210

Cited by 380 publications

(515 citation statements)

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“…Specifically, we controlled for time in the host country, having accompanying family members during assignments, fluency of the local language, and previous international experience. Accounting for these variables is in line with previous expatriate research ( Black and Mendenhall 1990; Caligiuri 2000;Mendenhall and Oddou 1985). None of the control variables was significantly correlated with the endogenous variables in our study, i.e.…”

supporting

confidence: 92%

Sources of support and expatriation: a multiple stakeholder perspective of expatriate adjustment and performance in Malaysia

Malek

Budhwar

Reiche

2014

The International Journal of Human Resource Management

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INTRODUCTIONDespite the continuous cost-cutting pressures and severe budget restrictions, international assignments remain a crucial aspect of multinational corporations ' (MNCs) global strategy. The significance of an international assignment is amplified due to many MNCs considering an international assignment as a prerequisite for advancing one's career (Chen, Choi and Chi 2002). At the same time, there is ample evidence of expatriates' ineffectiveness abroad and expatriates commonly attribute these problems to poor crosscultural adjustment (Takeuchi, Yun and Tesluk 2002), family-related problems, i.e. the inability of spouse and children to adapt to the host country's culture (Flynn 1995;Takeuchi et al. 2002), and lack of ability to adapt to the various aspects of the host country (Pomeroy 2006).Given these persistent problems, previous studies (Bhaskar-Shrinivas, Harrison, Shaffer and Luk 2005;Cogin and Fish 2010) have highlighted the need to improve our ability to predict the success of international assignments. However, it still remains a mystery why some expatriates adjust well to the foreign environment when others fail (Takeuchi 2010).These failures not only result in monetary expenses but also negative company image, stalled career progression and psychological barriers to take up future assignments (Hemmasi, Downes and Varner 2010;Mendenhall and Oddou 1985;Zeira and Banai 1985). A key problem in expatriate-related research is that despite being extensively researched for the past few decades, most of it has been predominantly 'expatriate-centric' and has neglected other expatriate stakeholders that include the accompanying spouse, host-country nationals (HCNs), and the parent company or MNC (Takeuchi 2010). Our study addresses this gap in the literature by focusing on the support from expatriates' multiple stakeholders, including the organization, HCNs and the spouse/partner. Drawing on anxiety/uncertainty management (AUM) theory (Gudykunst 1988; Gudykunst and Kim 1997), we argue that utilizing their 4 support will help expatriates to manage and minimize the feelings of anxiety and uncertainty that result from being relocated to a new cultural environment, and be mindful of these cultural differences to facilitate cross-cultural adjustment and ultimately their performance.We focus on an emerging country -Malaysia -for two reasons. First, there is a scarcity of research regarding the adjustment of expatriates and their family members in this country. Second, a rising amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) targets this country.According to the World Investment Report (UNCTAD 2010) Malaysia has remained one of the top 15 host countries for FDI for [2010][2011][2012]. With a continuous increase in FDI inflows, more foreign companies are likely to operate in Malaysia, leading to a greater demand for expatriates being deployed to this country. Asia in particular represents a challenging posting for many foreign managers. Wide differences between the cultural perspectives and mannerisms may pose ...

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supporting

confidence: 92%

Sources of support and expatriation: a multiple stakeholder perspective of expatriate adjustment and performance in Malaysia

Malek

Budhwar

Reiche

2014

The International Journal of Human Resource Management

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“…Mendenhall and Oddou (1985) point to the complexity added to this process by the fact that expatriates must meet the often conflicting expectations of HQ management and subsidiary colleagues. Indeed, it has been argued that there are a number of factors which impact on the performance of expatriate employees.…”

Section: Expatriate Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Changing patterns of global staffing in the multinational enterprise: Challenges to the conventional expatriate assignment and emerging alternatives

Collings

Scullion

Morley

2007

Journal of World Business

555

455

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We argue that many MNCs continue to underestimate the complexities involved in global staffing and that organisations and academics must take a more strategic view of staffing arrangements in an international context. We suggest that the context for the management and handling of the international assignment has altered significantly, leading in some quarters to a fundamental reassessment of the contribution of, and prospects for, the international assignment as conventionally understood. We explore a variety of supply side issues, cost issues, demand side issues and career issues as triggers to this reassessment. Alongside the conventional expatriate assignment, we point to the emergence of a portfolio of alternatives to the traditional international assignment including short-term assignments, commuter assignments, international business travel and virtual assignments. In the context of these developments, we argue that a standardised approach to international assignments is untenable and that it is essential to develop HR policies and procedures that reflect differences in the various forms of emerging alternative international assignment and their associated complexities. Here recruitment and selection, training, reward, and occupational health and safety issues and implications are all explored.

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“…As Yeoh and Willis (2005: 211) report, female assignees experience "considerable strain holding together geographically separate spheres of productive and reproductive work across the transnational terrain". Women assignees on single status would therefore be expected to be 'selforiented' (to cope with the requirement for social adaptation) as well as 'others-oriented' (to develop strong friendships locally wherever possible) to reduce assignment stress (Mendenhall and Oddou 1985).…”

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme Expatriation: The Effect of Location Factors and Masculine Environments on Women’s International Assignment Participation in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production

Shortland

2016

Handbook on Well-Being of Working Women

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Expatriation in oil and gas exploration and production involves relocation or frequent mobility to geographically remote, climatically harsh, even dangerous locations. Living in camps, compounds or offshore rigs typically involves family separation for lengthy periods with little respite from a highly masculine social ethos. Women undertaking such assignments can experience limited opportunities for fulfilling social lives. Even city-based solo expatriation can prove to be isolating. Yet, extreme geographical locations do not preclude women's expatriation as benefits such as good career prospects, high monetary rewards and various forms of organizational support can potentially outweigh the disadvantages. Based on 12 interviews with solo expatriates, this chapter highlights the factors that influence women's decisions to undertake single status expatriation and their experiences of living in highly gendered geographies. Organizational policy that supports female assignees can help to make extreme expatriation more attractive to women.

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The Dimensions of Expatriate Acculturation: A Review

Cited by 380 publications

References 0 publications

Sources of support and expatriation: a multiple stakeholder perspective of expatriate adjustment and performance in Malaysia

Sources of support and expatriation: a multiple stakeholder perspective of expatriate adjustment and performance in Malaysia

Changing patterns of global staffing in the multinational enterprise: Challenges to the conventional expatriate assignment and emerging alternatives

Extreme Expatriation: The Effect of Location Factors and Masculine Environments on Women’s International Assignment Participation in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production

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