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Expatriate personality and cultural fit: The moderating role of host country context on job satisfaction

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  • Peltokorpi, Vesa
  • Froese, Fabian

Abstract

This study draws on the cultural fit hypothesis to examine interactive effects of host country context and four (Multicultural Personality Questionnaire) expatriate personality traits – Cultural Empathy, Social Initiative, Emotional Stability, and Open Mindedness – on job satisfaction. The cultural fit hypothesis maintains that it is not only the expatriate personality traits per se, but the cultural fit between expatriate personality traits and host country cultural values, norms, and prototypical personality traits that predict expatriate adjustment in host countries (Searle & Ward, 1990). Providing partial support for the cultural fit hypothesis, data derived from 191 expatriates in Brazil and Japan shows that the importance of two personality traits varies in these countries. Specifically, expatriates with high Cultural Empathy were more satisfied with their jobs in Japan than in Brazil, whereas Social Initiative was more important for expatriates in Brazil.

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  • Peltokorpi, Vesa & Froese, Fabian, 2014. "Expatriate personality and cultural fit: The moderating role of host country context on job satisfaction," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 293-302.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:iburev:v:23:y:2014:i:1:p:293-302
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ibusrev.2013.05.004
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    9. Hauff, Sven & Richter, Nicole Franziska & Tressin, Tabea, 2015. "Situational job characteristics and job satisfaction: The moderating role of national culture," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 710-723.
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    15. Lo, Fang-Yi & Nguyen, Thi Hong Anh, 2023. "Cross-cultural adjustment and training on international expatriates' performance," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    16. Omer Kursad Tufekci & Mehmet Dinc, 2014. "A Research on Determining the Effects of Five Factor Personality Traits of Turkish Football Referees on Cultural Intelligence," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 4(5), pages 410-468, May.
    17. Evans Sokro & Soma Pillay, 2020. "Host Country Nationals’ Attitudes, Social Support and Willingness to Work with Expatriates," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 21(5), pages 1184-1199, October.
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    20. Cheng-Feng Cheng, 2020. "Revisiting Internal Marketing for the Determinants of Job (Dis)Satisfaction by Using Asymmetric Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-15, May.

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