An empirical analysis of managers' adjustment to working in multi-national project teams in the pipeline and plant construction sector

Abstract

This article empirically investigates the adjustment of managers to working in multi-national project teams in the pipeline and plant construction industry. The members of such teams come from diverse national backgrounds and there is no single culture dominating the team. While there has been a lot of research on multi-cultural teams, organizational socialization and expatriate issues, so far these areas have been investigated separately. This article contributes to research in these fields by developing and empirically testing a model containing a number of antecedents and consequences of the adjustment of individuals when working in multi-cultural project teams. The findings highlight the importance of cross-cultural sensitivity for individuals' adjustment in such teams, as well as the positive role of adjustment for individuals' satisfaction, commitment and intention to stay with the team.

Keywords:

• adjustment
• cross-cultural sensitivity
• multi-cultural teams
• project teams

Notes

1. We would like to thank a reviewer for highlighting this issue