Expatriate adjustment: considerations for selection and training
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to first, synthesize employee characteristics that have been shown to help expatriate adjustment into best practices that can aid in expatriate selection. Second, the authors aim to identify training design variables that can be implemented to not only increase learning and expatriate adjustment, but also to maximize the benefits of employee characteristics. Finally, the authors point out environmental factors that are often overlooked, but yet important influencing forces of expatriate adjustment.
Design/methodology/approach
PsychINFO was searched using variations of the following terms: expatriate selection and expatriate training. For the selection criteria, the authors selected articles in which cross-cultural adjustment, expatriate performance, or learning was the dependent variable. Reference sections of these articles were then cross-referenced for additional support. Authors then double-coded every article independently to record variables, study methodology, and research results.
Findings
The authors have identified cultural intelligence, learning orientation, technical KSAO's, and language skills to be the most significant antecedents of expatriate adjustment. Furthermore, the authors have found environmental factors (i.e. organizational, family, and interpersonal support) to play a crucial role in the adjustment process. The authors have also identified training factors (i.e. content, process, and elements) to be crucial, and the authors propose how these design variables further facilitate learning and adjustment.
Originality/value
This manuscript contributes to the extant expatriate adjustment literature by providing a new, integrative framework. While the individual variables explored within the paper have been examined in past research, this manuscript is the first to offer a framework which integrates them to shape future research.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The views in this work are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect official Army policy. This research was supported by the United States Army Research Laboratory and the United States Army Research Office under Grant W911NF-08-1-0144.
Citation
Feitosa, J., Kreutzer, C., Kramperth, A., S. Kramer, W. and Salas, E. (2014), "Expatriate adjustment: considerations for selection and training", Journal of Global Mobility, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 134-159. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGM-06-2013-0042
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited