The outcomes of cross-cultural adjustment: a case of British expatriates working on international architectural, engineering and construction assignments
posted on 2018-09-20, 11:38authored byAshwini Konanahalli, Lukumon O. Oyedele, John P. Spillane, Marina Marinelli
The main aim of this study is to investigate the consequences of cross-cultural adjustment in an under researched sample of British expatriates working on International Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) assignments. Adjustment is the primary outcome of an expatriate assignment. According to Bhaskar-Srinivas et al., (2005), Harrison et al., (2004) it is viewed to affect other work related outcomes which could eventually predict expatriate success. To address the scarcity of literature on expatriate management in the AEC sector, an exploratory design was adopted. Phase one is characterised by extensive review of extant literature, whereas phase two was qualitative exploration from British expatriates’ perspective; here seven unstructured interviews were carried out. Further, cognitive mapping analysis through Banaxia decision explorer software was conducted to develop a theoretical framework and propose various hypotheses. The findings imply that British AEC firms could sustain their already established competitive advantage in the global marketplace by acknowledging the complexity of international assignments, prioritising expatriate management and offering a well-rounded support to facilitate expatriate adjustment and ultimately achieve critical outcomes like performance, assignment completion and job satisfaction.
History
Publication
Proceedings 30th Annual ARCOM Conference, Raiden, A and Aboagye-Nimo, E (Eds.);pp. 279-288
Publisher
ARCOM: Association of Researchers in Construction Management
Note
peer-reviewed
Rights
First published by ARCOM: http://www.arcom.ac.uk/abstracts-results.php?s=30th Annual ARCOM Conference&v=&i=&b=b&p=8365#8365