The effect of cross-cultural training on expatriates’ adjustment

Abstract

Purpose One of the most important issues multinational corporations (MNCs) face in their global operations is expatriate failure. It is estimated that between 10 and 80 percent of expatriates sent on overseas assignments return home early. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of cross-cultural training (CCT) on different facets of expatriate managers’ adjustment in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 212 western expatriate managers working in Nigeria was surveyed. Respondents were selected from four cities where they had been working for at least one year. Findings The main finding of this study was that expatriates’ adjustment could be predicted from different types of CCT. The findings of this research confirm the view expressed by researchers over the last two decades that both conventional and specific experimental CCT have positive effect on the facets of cross-cultural adjustment. Research limitations/implications Given that the authors did not collect their data over time, the cross-sectional nature of the design limits them from making definitive causal statements. In the future, more resources and efforts could be applied to safeguard larger samples of respondents, thus potentially resulting in better statistical power. A longitudinal approach could be used; such an approach may have generated a richer data source, where different patterns of adjustment could have been identified and compared over time. Data for the study were collected through questionnaire, thus any observed relations might be due in part to common method effects. Since the data were collected from four cities, there may be some concern as to the generalizability of the findings to expatriates working in other cities in Nigeria. Practical implications MNCs should pay more attention to CCT and management development. Ineffective CCT and management development have an adverse impact on MNCs’ effectiveness. Developing CCT programs could add value to corporations and employees especially employees who are destined for foreign assignments. In addition, developing CCT for expatriates’ spouses and children would facilitate adjustment process and may reduce failure rate. Originality/value Once corroborated by further studies, this exploratory research may contribute to the understanding of the adjustment of western expatriates in Nigeria. Few, if any, prior studies, have examined CCT and expatriate adjustment in Nigeria.

Effects of predeparture and postarrival cross‐cultural trainings on expatriates adjustment: A study of Chinese expatriates in Nigeria

“…Overall, our results are consistent with previous findings that show cross‐cultural understanding, language proficiency, and previous overseas experience affect the level of psychological comfort with general living conditions, interactions with local people, and the new workplace (Hechanova et al, 2003; Okpara & Kabongo, 2011, 2017; Peltokorpi, 2008; Puck et al, 2008; Selmer, 1999, 2002a, 2002b; Selmer et al, 1998; Tarique & Caligiuri, 2009; Waxin & Panaccio, 2005; Wurtz, 2014). We also found that postarrival CCT seems to influence expatriate adjustment slightly more than predeparture CCT.…”

“…An item analysis of our questionnaire reveals that postarrival CCT contributes most to general, work, and interaction adjustment. Our findings are in line with prior studies (Aravind et al, 2017; Martins & Tomé, 2015; Okpara & Kabongo, 2011, 2017; Selmer, 2001a, 2001b; Wang & Tran, 2012), which confirms that cross‐cultural predeparture and postarrival training programs help expatriates successfully adjust to their new environment.…”

“…To enhance the response rate, we delivered the questionnaires by hand to the managers and collected them by hand on a scheduled pickup date (the drop‐off and pickup method). This method has frequently been used by scholars doing research in developing countries (Ibeh, Brook, & Zhou, 2004; Okpara & Kabongo, 2011, 2017; Yavas, 1987). The total population in this study included approximately 300 Chinese managers working for Chinese companies in Abuja, Calabar, Lagos, and Port Harcourt.…”

“…Much research has been conducted on CCT and expatriate adjustment (Caligiuri et al, 2001; Lai & Yang, 2017; Mendenhall et al, 2004; Morris & Robie, 2001; Selmer, 2005; Wang et al, 2017; Waxin & Panaccio, 2005; Wurtz, 2014). Our review of the literature on CCT and expatriate adjustment shows that there is a lack of research on this topic when it comes to Africa and Nigeria, with the notable exceptions of some exploratory studies (Abugre, Williams, & Debrah, 2019; Abugre, Yaw, & Debrah, 2019; Okpara, 2016; Okpara & Kabongo, 2011, 2017). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first empirical research study investigating the influence of predeparture and postarrival CCT on the adjustment of Chinese expatriates in Nigeria.…”

“…Some studies have shown that cross‐cultural training (CCT) could facilitate cross‐cultural adjustment (Briscoe, 2014; Feitosa et al, 2014; Lai & Yang, 2017; Littrell, Salas, Hess, Paley, & Riedel, 2006; Morris & Robie, 2001; Okpara & Kabongo, 2011; Wang et al, 2017). As a result, several studies have investigated the effects of CCT on expatriate adjustment and have affirmed the importance of CCT to expatriate adjustment (Briscoe, 2014; Feitosa et al, 2014; Kealey & Protheroe, 1996; Lai & Yang, 2017; Littrell et al, 2006; Morris & Robie, 2001; Okpara, 2016; Okpara & Kabongo, 2011, 2017; Wang et al, 2017; Waxin & Panaccio, 2005).…”