Strategizing personality traits: an acculturation approach to person–environment fit and expatriate adjustment

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

1-1-2021

Abstract

Models of expatriate adjustment grounded in person–environment fit theory argue expatriate adjustment occurs when the expatriate’s abilities meet the demands of the cultural context and when the cultural context fulfils the expatriate’s needs. However, the process of how an expatriate’s abilities match the demands of the cultural context and how the expatriate’s needs interact with these demands is less explored. Addressing this gap, we take an acculturation approach to build on the premise of person–environment fit theory by presenting a conceptual model that shows how an expatriate’s ability to draw upon certain personality traits may influence the adoption of certain acculturation strategies needed to meet the demands of the cultural context across life domains. In this sense, an expatriate is able to meet the demands of his/her cultural context across life domains by adopting certain acculturation strategies. Moreover, we posit the importance of an expatriate’s needs as represented by his/her acculturation attitudes with these demands. We contribute to the expatriate literature by extending the premise of person–environment fit theory in expatriate adjustment and by connecting personality traits with an expatriate’s acculturation strategies.

Publication Title, e.g., Journal

International Journal of Human Resource Management

Volume

32

Issue

7

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