IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/worbus/v49y2014i4p476-487.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Facilitating expatriate adjustment: The role of advice-seeking from host country nationals

Author

Listed:
  • Mahajan, Ashish
  • Toh, Soo Min

Abstract

The expatriation literature consistently suggests that expatriates on assignment require a great deal of support to adjust to their new environment. This study examines the potential of host country national (HCN) coworkers as an important yet often overlooked source of support for expatriates. Analysis of survey data collected from 350 expatriates working in the U.S. indicated that expatriates who sought advice from HCN coworkers reported higher levels of work and interaction adjustment. This study also found that expatriates were more likely to seek advice from HCN coworkers they perceived as being credible and likable. Implications for research and managerial relevance are offered.

Suggested Citation

  • Mahajan, Ashish & Toh, Soo Min, 2014. "Facilitating expatriate adjustment: The role of advice-seeking from host country nationals," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 476-487.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:49:y:2014:i:4:p:476-487
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2013.10.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090951613000631
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jwb.2013.10.003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. J Stewart Black, 1988. "Work Role Transitions: A Study of American Expatriate Managers in Japan," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(2), pages 277-294, June.
    2. Lee, Fiona, 1997. "When the Going Gets Tough, Do the Tough Ask for Help? Help Seeking and Power Motivation in Organizations," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 72(3), pages 336-363, December.
    3. Selmer, Jan, 1999. "Effects of coping strategies on sociocultural and psychological adjustment of western expatriate managers in the PRC," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 41-51, April.
    4. Carl Finkbeiner, 1979. "Estimation for the multiple factor model when data are missing," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 44(4), pages 409-420, December.
    5. Shawn M Carraher & Sherry E Sullivan & Madeline M Crocitto, 2008. "Mentoring across global boundaries: an empirical examination of home- and host-country mentors on expatriate career outcomes," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(8), pages 1310-1326, December.
    6. Daniel C Feldman & David C Thomas, 1992. "Career Management Issues Facing Expatriates," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 23(2), pages 271-293, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Guo, Ying & Rammal, Hussain Gulzar & Pereira, Vijay, 2021. "Am I ‘In or Out’? A social identity approach to studying expatriates’ social networks and adjustment in a host country context," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 558-566.
    2. Thomas Köllen & Andri Koch & Andreas Hack, 2020. "Nationalism at Work: Introducing the “Nationality-Based Organizational Climate Inventory” and Assessing Its Impact on the Turnover Intention of Foreign Employees," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 97-122, February.
    3. Pintar Rok & Martins Jorge Tiago & Bernik Mojca, 2017. "Analysis of Expatriation Process in a Slovenian Company," Organizacija, Sciendo, vol. 50(1), pages 63-79, February.
    4. Caligiuri, Paula & Bonache, Jaime, 2016. "Evolving and enduring challenges in global mobility," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 127-141.
    5. Heizmann, Helena & Fee, Anthony & Gray, Sidney J., 2018. "Intercultural Knowledge Sharing Between Expatriates and Host-country Nationals in Vietnam: A Practice-based Study of Communicative Relations and Power Dynamics," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 16-32.
    6. Marina Anna Schmitz & Fabian Jintae Froese & Anna Katharina Bader, 2018. "Organizational cynicism in multinational corporations in China," Asia Pacific Business Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(5), pages 620-637, October.
    7. Wu, Sihong & Chirico, Francesco & Fan, Di & Ding, Jiayan & Su, Yiyi, 2024. "Foreign market exit in family firms: Do historical military and cultural frictions matter?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 59(1).
    8. 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.
    9. Chun-Hsiao Wang & Arup Varma, 2022. "International management strategies and expatriate practices of Taiwanese multinational corporations: a contingency perspective," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(1), pages 129-153, February.
    10. Biener, Christian & Eling, Martin & Jia, Ruo, 2017. "The structure of the global reinsurance market: An analysis of efficiency, scale, and scope," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 213-229.
    11. Bebenroth, Ralf & Froese, Fabian J., 2020. "Consequences of expatriate top manager replacement on foreign subsidiary performance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(2).
    12. Tung, Rosalie L., 2016. "New perspectives on human resource management in a global context," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 142-152.
    13. Goker, Nazli & Karsak, E.Ertugrul, 2021. "Two-stage common weight DEA-Based approach for performance evaluation with imprecise data," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    14. Kubovcikova, Annamaria & van Bakel, Marian, 2022. "Social support abroad: How do self-initiated expatriates gain support through their social networks?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(1).
    15. Michailova, Snejina & Fee, Anthony & DeNisi, Angelo, 2023. "Research on host-country nationals in multinational enterprises: The last five decades and ways forward," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 58(1).
    16. Horak, Sven & Yang, Inju, 2016. "Affective networks, informal ties, and the limits of expatriate effectiveness," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 1030-1042.
    17. Mahajan, Ashish & Hassan, Yusuf, 2024. "Do expatriates adjust better when they seek advice from host country nationals? Role of perceived social costs and organizational support in advice-seeking," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    18. Sana Mumtaz & Sadia Nadeem, 2022. "Understanding the Integration of Psychological and Socio-cultural Factors in Adjustment of Expatriates: An AUM Process Model," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440221, February.
    19. Guo, Ying & Rammal, Hussain G. & Benson, John & Zhu, Ying & Dowling, Peter J., 2018. "Interpersonal relations in China: Expatriates’ perspective on the development and use of guanxi," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 455-464.
    20. Fan, Shea X. & Harzing, Anne-Wil, 2017. "Host country employees’ ethnic identity confirmation: Evidence from interactions with ethnically similar expatriates," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 640-652.
    21. Yong Suhk Pak & Qinglu Sun & Yi Yang, 2019. "Influences of expatriate managerial styles on host-country nationals’ turnover intention," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 18(4), pages 263-280, September.
    22. Yamao, Sachiko & Yoshikawa, Toru & Choi, Daejeong & Toh, Soo Min, 2020. "When do host country nationals help expatriates? The roles of identification with the multinational enterprise and career development support by the subsidiary," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(3).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mahajan, Ashish & Hassan, Yusuf, 2024. "Do expatriates adjust better when they seek advice from host country nationals? Role of perceived social costs and organizational support in advice-seeking," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    2. Caligiuri, Paula & Bonache, Jaime, 2016. "Evolving and enduring challenges in global mobility," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 127-141.
    3. Thornton, Robert L. & Thornton, M. K., 1995. "Personnel problems in "Carry the flag" missions in foreign assignment," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 59-66.
    4. Ramsey, Jase R., 2005. "The role of other orientation on the relationship between institutional distance and expatriate adjustment," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 377-396, September.
    5. Md. Sayed Uddin & Rosazman Hussin & Badariah Ab Rahman, 2020. "Socio-Cultural Adjustment and Job Performance Among Expatriates: A Critical Overview," International Journal of Human Resource Studies, Macrothink Institute, vol. 10(1), pages 146157-1461, December.
    6. Schmid, Stefan & Wurster, Dennis J., 2017. "International work experience: Is it really accelerating the way to the management board of MNCs?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 991-1008.
    7. Kusi, Samuel Yaw & Gabrielsson, Peter & Baumgarth, Carsten, 2022. "How classical and entrepreneurial brand management increases the performance of internationalising SMEs?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(5).
    8. Florence Duvivier & Carine Peeters, 2011. "The use of expatriates in the offshoring of services - Framework and research propositions," Working Papers CEB 11-059, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    9. Silbiger, Avi & Barnes, Bradley R. & Berger, Ron & Renwick, Douglas W.S., 2021. "The role of regulatory focus and its influence on the cultural distance – Adjustment relationship for expatriate managers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 398-410.
    10. Lee, Hung-Wen & Chen, Chien-Jung, 2012. "A research study on the relationship between personal career development management and willingness to relocate," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 2646-2650.
    11. Robert Konopaske & Chet Robie & John M. Ivancevich, 2009. "Managerial Willingness to Assume Traveling, Short-term and Long-term Global Assignments," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 49(3), pages 359-387, June.
    12. Amaral, Christopher & Kolsarici, Ceren, 2020. "The financial advice puzzle: The role of consumer heterogeneity in the advisor choice," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    13. Dimitrova, Mihaela & Chia, Sherwin Ignatius & Shaffer, Margaret A. & Tay-Lee, Cheryl, 2020. "Forgotten travelers: Adjustment and career implications of international business travel for expatriates," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(1).
    14. Andrew B. Hargadon & Beth A. Bechky, 2006. "When Collections of Creatives Become Creative Collectives: A Field Study of Problem Solving at Work," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(4), pages 484-500, August.
    15. Olivos Rossini, L.M., 2016. "Internationalization at home : Technology-supported multicultural learning in Peru," Other publications TiSEM 08fc1097-494d-4ab1-97e7-a, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    16. Ilya R. P. Cuypers & Gokhan Ertug & John Cantwell & Akbar Zaheer & Martin Kilduff, 2020. "Making connections: Social networks in international business," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(5), pages 714-736, July.
    17. Jun, Sunkyu & Lee, Sunkoo & Gentry, James W., 1997. "The effects of acculturation on commitment to the parent company and the foreign operation," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 6(5), pages 519-535, October.
    18. Yoshitaka Yamazaki, 2010. "Expatriate Adaptation," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 81-108, February.
    19. Yoshitaka Yamazaki, 2007. "Japanese Expatriates Adaptation: A Study of Fits Between the Skills and the Demands," Working Papers EMS_2007_02, Research Institute, International University of Japan.
    20. Kristine Andrea Narita, 2023. "Which Direction to Take Further Research on the Impacts of Telomere Attrition on Aging, Age-Related Diseases, and Overall Healthcare Expenditures," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-15, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:49:y:2014:i:4:p:476-487. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/620401/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.