Predicting Expatriate Work Attitudes: The Impact of Cognitive Closure and Adjustment Competencies

In: International journal of cross cultural management, Volume 2, Issue 3, p. 297-320

Abstract

Taking an individual difference perspective, we evaluated individual trait and skill antecedents to expatriate attitudes and turnover intent with a sample of 84 expatriates working in China. We investigated the role of a theoretically relevant personality trait - cognitive closure - reflecting comfort with ambiguity and uncertainty, and we introduced a set of empirically derived skill-based adjustment competencies developed through a job analytical technique. The results showed that work-related adjustment competencies, and in particular the ability to integrate head and host offices, were important to positive work attitudes and intention to remain on assignment. These results underscore the importance of selecting and training expatriates on adjustment competencies specific to cross cultural work to reduce the costs of assignment failure. Cognitive closure related to non-work related adjustment competencies (cultural sensitivity and ability to adapt to the social environment), suggesting that this trait may be related to non-work related aspects of expatriate attitudes and behavior.