Openness in Cross-Cultural Work Settings: A Multicountry Study of Expatriates

Abstract

Openness plays an important role in determining what kind of experiences individuals seek out not only in their personal lives, but also in work environments. The objectives of this study were (a) to examine the influence of openness and its facets on the decision to work abroad and (b) to study whether employees’ openness relates to cross-cultural adjustment as well as job and life satisfaction. We investigated these questions among a sample of 2,096 expatriates. In addition to self-reports of openness and cross-cultural adjustment, ratings of subjects’ adjustment were also obtained from 928 knowledgeable others. The openness facets of actions, ideas, and values appear to be good predictors of acceptance of international assignments. In addition, global Openness and its facets Openness to actions and feelings relate to self- and other ratings of cross-cultural adjustment.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the following individuals for help collecting the data on which this study is based: Claudia Bassarak, Gina Becher, Anna Beil, Veronika Bruchner, Miriam Callegari, Svenja Drossert, Elisa Foit, Niklas Frank, Lisa Fromm, Karen Geitner, Clara Hellweg, Karin Hofmann, Sophia Kammer, Stefanie Klauser, Julia Knobloch, Julia Lauenroth, Sylvia Lehmann, Stefanie Maaß, Maren-Katharina Mittrenga, Stefanie Nitsche, Esther Ostmeier, Nina Pache, Ulrike Pastoor, Katrin Petr, Miriam Pourseifi, Arne Prokandt, Martin Puppatz, Dorothee Rauber, Martin Scheunemann, Theresa Schnieders, Lasse Schulze, Katharina Schuster, Anna-Christina Schwenk, Sehri Silav, Martin Stöckl, Elke Strade, Katharina Strüber, Lars Thurow, Milan Uhe, Richard Vahlhaus, Ines Vetter, Carmen Wesch, Sunnhild Wichern, Sabine Winters, Sandra Wittlinger, and Kathrin Wolf.

This article is based on portions of Anne-Grit Albrecht's doctoral dissertation.