Acculturation, coping, and integration success of international skilled migrants: An integrative review and multilevel framework

In this article, we review the limited but growing body of research on international skilled migrants and examine to what extent knowledge generated in adjacent research streams-specifically, work on assigned and self-initiated expatriates-can be meaningfully applied to aid our under- standing of the challenges, coping strategies, and acculturation dynamics of skilled migrants. We develop a framework that explains how variables and processes at multiple levels (individual, organisational, and societal) influence migrant acculturation and coping and result in integration-related outcomes in the domains of personal/family life and workplace/career. We discuss directions for future research and implications for practice

Scientific mindfulness: a foundation for future themes in international business

We conceptualize new ways to qualify what themes should dominate the future IB research agenda by examining three questions: Whom should we ask? What should we ask and which selection criteria should we apply? What are the contextual forces? We propose scientific mindfulness as the way forward for generating themes in IB research

Linking institutional context to the community and career embeddedness of skilled migrants: the role of destination- and origin-country identifications

Migration is one of the most pressing global issues of our time. However, relatively little is known about the factors and mechanisms that govern the post-migration experiences of skilled migrants. We adopt an acculturation- and social identity-based approach to examine how differences between institutional characteristics in the destination and origin country, as well as migrants’ experiences with formal and informal institutions shape their identification with the destination and origin country and contribute to their community and career embeddedness. Our study of 1709 highly skilled migrants from 48 origin countries in 12 destination countries reveals that the institutional environment migrants encounter provides both sources of opportunity (potential for human development and value-congruent societal practices) and sources of disadvantage (experienced ethnocentrism and downgrading). These contrasting dynamics affect migrants’ destination-country identification, their origin-country identification and, ultimately, their embeddedness in the destination country. Our results have important implications for multinational enterprises and policy makers that can contribute to enhancing skilled migrants’ community and career embeddedness. For example, these actors may nurture a work environment and provide supportive policies that buffer against the institutional sources of disadvantage we identified in this study, while helping migrants to leverage the opportunities available in the destination country

Repatriate knowledge transfer: Antecedents and boundary conditions of a dyadic process

In this study, we build on the ability-motivation-opportunity framework to test whether both repatriates’ disseminative capacity and domestic employees’ absorptive capacity as well as their opportunities for interaction affect repatriate knowledge transfer. Further, we examine the moderating effects of two distinctive factors associated with repatriate knowledge transfer: repatriate knowledge characteristics and characteristics of international assignments. Using multi-source time-lagged data from 101 dyads, we find support for most of our hypotheses. Our study contributes to theory and practice by providing an integrated analysis of antecedents and boundary conditions of repatriate knowledge transfer and by highlighting its dyadic nature

Expatriate work role engagement and the work–family interface: A conditional crossover and spillover perspective

How intertwined are expatriates with their families? And what makes some expatriates better than others at leveraging positive or compensating for negative influences from their family life? Drawing on conservation of resources, crossover and spillover theories, we examine when partner family role adjustment influences expatriates’ family experiences, and how and when these experiences translate into expatriate work role engagement. Using data from 105 expatriate–partner dyads at two time points, we establish the key personal resource of general self-efficacy as a boundary condition for crossover and spillover. We find that expatriates with high self-efficacy experience no crossover between partner family role adjustment and expatriate family role adjustment, and positive spillover between their family role engagement and their work role engagement. By contrast, expatriates with low self-efficacy experience strong crossover between partner family role adjustment and expatriate family role adjustment, and negative spillover between their family role engagement and work role engagement. Our results suggest that the way in which the family domain influences expatriate work role engagement depends on general self-efficacy. We contribute to conservation of resources, crossover and spillover theories, and the work–family interface during expatriation. Our results also pinpoint organizational interventions to improve expatriates’ work role engagement.©2021 Sage Publications. The article is protected by copyright and reuse is restricted to non-commercial and no derivative uses. Users may also download and save a local copy of an article accessed in an institutional repository for the user's personal reference.The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain MICINN-ECO2012-33544, US–Israel Bi-National Science Foundation 2009106. Mila Lazarova acknowledges support of the Canada Research Chair Program.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Cultural Management International Journal of Cross Cultural Intelligence: Domain and Assessment International Journal of Cross Cultural Management Additional services and information for Cultural Intelligence Domain and Assessment

ABSTRACT The construct of cultural intelligence, recently introduced to the management literature, has enormous potential in helping to explain effectiveness in cross cultural interactions. However, at present, no generally accepted definition or operationalization of this nascent construct exists. In this article, we develop a conceptualization of cultural Over the years, many studies have alluded to the idea that there are certain attributes that some individuals have that allow them to be effective in cross cultural communication In this article, we define cultural intelligence based on a review of literature in the domains of cross cultural interactions, social cognition, and intelligence. We address fundamental conceptual issues in construct validity A Type of Intelligence Defining this new construct as a type of intelligence, as opposed to intercultural competency, global mindset or any number of other similar terms, has two advantages. First, it substitutes well-studied ideas in cognitive psychology for the more popular concepts that have made their way into the international management literature. For example the term 'global mindset' is widely used in the management literature, but there continues to be a good deal of confusion surrounding the definition and constituent elements of this construct (see Related constructs that depart from a purely cognitive view of intelligence should be distinguished from our current focus. The first is the ability to understand oneself and others in a social situation and thus effectively interact with others -so-called social intelligence Social and emotional intelligence share some attributes with cultural intelligence as defined ahead, such as the idea that intelligence is inherently multidimensional. However, both of these constructs are specific to the culture in which they were developed and do not necessarily relate to cross cultural interactions. For example, social skills learned and honed in one country may be ineffective or even offensive in another culture with different rules for social interaction (e.g. Indicators of Cultural Intelligence By definition, the outcome of culturally intelligent behavior is more effective intercultural interaction. This statement, of course, begs the question of what indications suggest cultural intelligence in action. A good general description of such effectiveness might be drawn from the literature on successful adjustment to a foreign culture While the goals may differ from person to person and situation to situation, goal accomplishment is always a candidate as an indicator of an effective interaction, in this case, in a cross cultural setting. Based on these dimensions of self, relational, and task effectiveness outcomes, we would thus expect cultural intelligence to be positively related to expatriate adjustment, task completion by culturally diverse groups, effective decision making in a multicultural context, leadership of culturally different others and a host of other cross cultural interactions. However, these distal outcomes might also be related to a variety of factors that have little to do with cultural intelligence. For example, although specifying a motivational facet of (cultural) intelligence (e.g. Cultural Intelligence Defined We define cultural intelligence as a system of interacting knowledge and skills, linked by cultural metacognition, that allows people to adapt to, select, and shape the cultural aspects of their environment. This definition puts the construct in the domain of multifaceted conceptualizations of intelligence. Thus, not only does cultural intelligence include multiple types of knowledge (understanding of a body of information) and skills (mastery of an application of knowledge), it involves both cognitive and metacognitive (knowledge of and control over one's thinking and learning) dimensions. In our conceptualization, it is important that we differentiate between intelligence and intelligent behavior. That is, what constitutes intelligent behavior (behavior demonstrating appropriate knowledge and skills) may differ from one cultural environment to another (e.g. Thus we conceive of cultural intelligence as knowledge and skills that are developed in a specific cultural (cross cultural) context, but the effectiveness of which in the production of culturally intelligent behavior is dependent on a culture general process element called cultural metacognition. Cultural intelligence, like other domains of research that address a complex outcome (e.g. In the following, we develop the logic for the inclusion of each of the elements of knowledge, skills and cultural metacognition in our model of cultural intelligence. We also describe the nature of the interaction among these three elements that results in the emergence of cultural intelligence as a unique construct. Cultural Knowledge The cultural knowledge component of cultural intelligence includes what As culture specific content knowledge is acquired, it is categorized in order to cope with the complexity of the environment Cultural knowledge refers not only to a declarative or content component (e.g. knowledge about cultures, social interactions, personal history), but also to stored processes (i.e. culture general processes directed to the solution of specific problems). Process or procedural knowledge includes knowledge of the effect of culture on one's own nature or the nature of another as a cognitive processor, knowledge that involves cross cultural encounter or problem-solving, its demands, and how those demands can be met under varying conditions. The creation of this culture general knowledge involves learning from specific experience with culturally different others and is the result of reflective observation, analysis, and abstract conceptualization, which can create new mental categories and re-categorize others in a more sophisticated cognitive system. Ultimately, knowledge gained from specific experience is recoded into broader principles (see for example, Skills The literature on cultural adjustment and related outcomes of interaction with culturally different others or in foreign environments is replete with individual difference constructs that purport to explain or predict effectiveness. They range from attitudes such as world-mindedness In order to specify the skills elements of cultural intelligence, it is important to recognize the dynamic nature of cultural intelligence. That is, it is not static, but involves continuous learning from social interactions. Development of cultural intelligence by learning from social experience means paying attention to and appreciating critical differences in culture and background between oneself and others. This implies the importance of what we have labeled perceptual skills. Candidates for inclusion here are constructs such as open-mindedness, tolerance of uncertainty, and non-judgmentalness. Also, learning from social interaction with culturally different others and/or in foreign cultural contexts requires relational skills such as flexibility, sociability, empathy and so on. While both of these skill dimensions are important, the skill that perhaps most clearly distinguishes cultural intelligence from other related ideas is the ability to generate appropriate behavior in a new cultural setting. This adaptive skill involves being able to exhibit behavior that is chosen from a welldeveloped repertoire or is quickly developed during the course of an intercultural interaction. Candidates for subordinate dimensions of this skill include self-monitoring, behavioral flexibility and self-regulation. Rather than being simply adaptive toward behavior that is typical of a target culture, this skill manifests itself in generating new behavior that is appropriate to the cross cultural interaction context. This is an important difference in the conceptualization of cultural intelligence presented here versus other conceptualizations (e.g. A body of evidence suggests that the adoption of behavior more like that of the other culture participant (also called mimicry in Cultural Metacognition The construct of cultural metacognition is based on the more general idea of metacognition, and is related to the analytic skills mentioned previously. Metacognition is defined as knowledge of and control over one's thinking and learning activities (Flavel, 1979; Thus metacognitive thoughts are deliberate, planful, intentional, goal-directed, and future-oriented mental behaviors that can be used to accomplish cognitive tasks Consistent with Flavell (1979), we define cultural metacognitive monitoring as attention to conscious cognitive experience, as well as to affective and personal-motivational states with regard to the cultural milieu that determines the course of a strategy in intercultural interaction. This involves maintaining heightened awareness of, and enhanced attention to, the current cultural experience or present reality, including awareness of the assumptions, emotions, motivations, intentions, behaviors, and skills of oneself and culturally different others. Cultural metacognitive regulation involves processes that are used to self-regulate and control cognitive activities and to ensure that a cognitive goal (e.g. effective handling of a cross cultural situation) has been met. Selfquestioning is a common metacognitive strategy to ensure that the goal is achieved. This control of cognitive processing involves bringing to mind knowledge relevant to the focus of attention (cultural interaction), inhibiting the tendency to act automatically, evaluating possible responses with reference to motives and goals (including not responding), and withholding judgment of others. There continues to be substantial debate in the literature regarding the extent to which metacognitive processes operate at a purely conscious level (e.g. Whether the term metacognitive should be used to describe thoughts that were once metacognitive but have since become nonconscious and automatic, remains a debatable issue. Certainly, the nonconscious and automatic nature of these thoughts contrasts sharply with other, more prominent, features of metacognition; namely, the extent to which metacognitive processes involve an awareness of oneself as 'an actor in his/her environment' and a 'deliberate storer and retriever of information'. It seems reasonable, therefore, to adopt the convention that the term metacognitive be reserved for 'conscious' and 'deliberate' thoughts that have as their object other thoughts. As they are conscious and deliberate, culturally metacognitive thoughts are not only potentially controllable by the person experiencing them, but they are potentially reportable and therefore accessible to the researcher. Nonconscious reflection on one's thinking may actually represent the implementation of an adaptive skill, as opposed to the actual metacognitive process. Examples differentiating these various components of cultural intelligence are presented in Linking Function of Cultural Metacognition 2 Cultural metacognition occupies a central position in our conceptualization of cultural intelligence. The term metacognition (also called metacognitive knowledge in Cognitive Self-Regulation Cultural metacognition regulates cognition in that it refers to an understanding of one's own cognitive behavior in the planning and monitoring of performance and in the use of cognitive strategies in a particular domain (se

Does the Use of English-language Questionnaires in Cross-national Research Obscure National Differences?

Cross-national research is plagued by many obstacles. This article focuses on one of these obstacles: the fact that research in more than one country usually involves respondents with different native languages. We investigated whether the language of the questionnaire influences response patterns. More specifically we tested whether responding in a common language (English) leads to a homogenization of responses across countries, hence obscuring national differences. We tested this hypothesis with a sample of 3419 undergraduate students in 24 countries. Half the students in each country received an English-language questionnaire, while the other half received the same questionnaire in their native language. Three types of questions were included in the questionnaire: questions about cultural norms and values, questions about characteristics of the ideal type of jobs that students would prefer after graduation, and questions about the reasons for choosing particular electives in their studies. Differences across countries were considerably smaller for nearly all questions when the English-language questionnaire was used. Consequences and recommendations for cross-national research and management are discussed. La recherche comparée internationale est jalonnée de multiples obstacles. Cet article se concentre sur l’un d’entre eux : le fait que les études conduites sur plusieurs pays impliquent généralement des répondants aux langues maternelles variées. L’objectif est de déterminer si la langue utilisée dans un questionnaire influence les réponses obtenues. Plus précisément, l’hypothèse que l’administration d’un questionnaire dans une seule langue commune (l’anglais) conduit à une homogénéisation des réponses entre pays a été testée, ceci signifiant donc une atténuation des différences internationales. L’étude empirique a été menée sur un échantillon de 3419 étudiants dans 24 pays. La moitié des étudiants de chaque pays a reçu le questionnaire en anglais, l’autre moitié dans leur langue maternelle. Trois types de questions constituaient le questionnaire : des questions sur les normes et valeurs culturelles, sur les caractéristiques de l’emploi idéal type que les étudiants aimeraient trouver après l’obtention de leur diplôme et des questions sur les raisons pour lesquelles ils avaient choisi certains électifs au cours de leurs études. Les différences entre pays se sont avérées être largement inférieures pour la quasi-totalité des questions quand le questionnaire en anglais avait été utilisé. Les conséquences et recommandations pour la recherche et le management comparés en milieu international sont finalement discutées