• Suppose, you are student of an

international university located in

Paris.
• You are taken for an excursion in
which you have 50 students from
different nationalities such as Nepal,
Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, China,
Thailand, Malaysia, France, Germany, UK,
Kenya, South Africa, Canada, Brazil and
Argentina.

For the fun activities in the excursion, which nationalities’ friends do you prefer to join?

1. Ethnocentric approach means you try to join friends from _________________.

2. If you select geocentric approach, you prefer friends from ________________.
3. If you prefer only the French friends in your group, it is a/an _____________ approach.
4. If you mix-up with friends from _________________, you are applying a regiocentric approach.
Organising and Managing Across Cultures - HR6060

Week 8 Lecture

Working Abroad and

Returning Home:
Cross-cultural Issues and
Implications

Achut Bhattarai
Topics to be discussed:

• The concept of Acculturation

• Cultural shock and reverse cultural shock
• Factors influencing expatriate success and
failure.
• Hiring of expatriates in MNCs
has become common in
ethnocentric and geocentric
staffing approaches.
• Taking employment outside one's
country of origin is increasing
because of more attractive
opportunities or better financial
incentives.
• Studying abroad has also become
common in almost every country of
the world.
• Acculturating in the new environment
of a foreign country might be a
challenge for expatriates.

• Re-acculturating in the changed

environment of their home-country
when they return back as a repatriate
is also a challenge.
What is Acculturation?
• “To acculturate is to come to adapt the new culture's behaviors,
values, customs, and language. The word 'acculturation' is the
act of that transition”. - Jessica McCallister
• Is a process through which a
person from one culture comes
to adopt the practices and values
of a new culture, while still retaining
their original culture.

• Is typically the case with immigrants

that are culturally or ethnically distinct
from the majority of population where they
have immigrated to.
The four-fold model of acculturation
Proposed in 1997 by John W. Berry (Professor Emeritus of Psychology,
Queen’s University, Canada, and Higher School of Economics, Moscow)

• Acculturating (in a new culture) principle

has 2 issues:
✔ retaining values and beliefs of own
(non-dominant) culture
✔ the desire of participation in the
host/new (dominant) culture.
• The responses to both issues yield a
four-fold classification of acculturation
orientations.
The four-fold model of acculturation

• If an individual seeks to maintain their

heritage culture as well as participate
within new culture, that is an
Integration.
• Where they choose to participate
solely within the host culture and
neglect their own cultural, it is an
Assimilation.
• If they choose not to participate in a new
culture, and to remain firmly within their
own, they have chosen the
Separation orientation.
• Alternatively, when an individual has no
interest in relations with either culture, it is
Marginalisation.
Acculturation in own culture:
• Cultural overriding:
When a new/imported culture
overrides (dominate) the home
country’s culture.

• Cultural
assimilation: When a
home culture follows a new
culture by putting own culture
aside.

• Cultural
accommodation: To
integrate/accommodate with the
new culture while retaining the
values of the original culture.
However, a successful expatriate adapts himself in the new environment and
accomplishes his assignments in the host country by crossing the phase of
Culture Shock
• is a feeling or an experience, normally
sad, a person may have when they
move to a new cultural environment
which is different from their own.
• Also the personal disorientation a
person may feel when experiencing an
unfamiliar way of life in a new country, a
move between social environments, or
simply transition to another type of life.
• The most common causes of culture
shock is individuals in a foreign
environment.
Cultural differences cause Culture Shock

https://youtu.be/YlsWtHx1L9s
Stages of culture shock
In 1954, Canadian anthropologist, Kalervo Oberg (1901-1973), introduced the
term ‘culture shock’ and identified 4 stages that individuals experience when
interacting with a new culture.

Stage I: The Honeymoon: Initial

euphoria (feelings of great happiness) and
excitement, which include:
• Excitement about new sights and
surroundings.
• Engaging in tourist-like activities in the
host culture.
• Intrigue with both similarities and
differences between the new culture
and your home culture.
• Lots of interest in learning, very
motivated and open-minded.
Stage II: Anxiety/Crisis – Frustration and hostility
towards differences and the novelty of the new culture has
faded off.
Your feelings in this stage may include:
• A focus on the differences between
the new culture and your home
culture. Stereotypes and prejudices
surface.
• You become overly stressed out by
small problems and feel lonely,
helpless and frustrated.
• Homesickness; missing your family
and friends from home.
Stage III: The Recovery/Adjusting
• You are somewhat familiar about the
differences and adjustment gradually occurs.
• You decide to make the most of your
experience.
• You may also have the following reactions:
• Increased familiarity with the new culture,
people and values.
• A return of your sense of humor about
differences.
• Making new friends and socialising.
• Recognition that you like some parts of the
new culture better than that of your home
country.
• Deeper learning about life abroad.
Stage IV: Acceptance/Adaptation
“Feeling at Home”
• You now appreciate the new
culture, and critique others.
• Common reactions include:
• Feeling at home in the new country.
• Feeling a sense of understanding
and association with the new
culture.
• No longer being negatively affected
by differences in culture.
• Living and working/studying to your
full potential.
• Feeling satisfaction in adjusting.
• Desire to stay longer or not returning
the home country.
Reverse Culture Shock: Even though the expatriate who has spent a long time in the host
country and adapted to the new culture, s/he needs to return to his home country after completing his assignments, where they
experience the reverse culture shock.

• The circumstances that create stress

when adapting to a foreign culture during
expatriation, may create stress in the
readjustment of a repatriate to his/her
home culture.
• Change of life-routines and a lack
of familiarity to home culture during
the expatriation may also
contribute significantly to reverse
culture shock and problems in
readapting to own culture and
traditions.
• Upon return, not only is home
different from what you are now
used to, but it may be different from
what it was when you left, and
different from what you expect it to
be like.
The Reverse Culture Shock W-Curve:
• Developed by John and Jeanne Gullahorn in 1963, USA.
• Include the following stages:
1. Upon arrival in the "home" culture, the returnee
experiences a "honeymoon" period. Visits with old
friends and family are refreshing, and you may notice
some exciting changes.
2. The honeymoon period doesn't last long, though, as
cultural differences and the stresses of reentry
continue to mount, plunging repatriates into the pit of
reverse culture shock.
3. As the returnee copes with the cultural differences of
their home culture and manage the logistical tasks,
they climb up the slope of re-adaptation, and
4. Again, regain their psychological stability at home.
 The Art of Coming Home, written by Craig Storti (a
well-known figure/author in the field of intercultural
communications and cross-cultural adaptation, USA)
presents the following key variables that affect re-entry
stress:

1. Voluntary versus involuntary re-entry:

involuntary is worse.
2. Expected versus unexpected re-entry:
unexpected is harder.
3. Age: re-entry may be easier for older
people who have been through more life
transitions.
4. Previous re-entry experience: the first time
is worse.
5. Length of the overseas stay: the longer the sojourn, the
greater the chance for adaptation; hence the harder it may
be to leave and come home.
6. Degree of interaction with the overseas culture: the more
involved you become in the local culture the harder it may
be to leave it behind.
7. The reentry environment: the more familiar and
supportive the easier the reentry.
8. Amount of interaction with the home culture during the
overseas sojourn: the more familiar the returnee is with
changes in the home culture the easier the reentry.
9. Difference Degree: the greater the difference between the
host and home cultures, the harder the reentry.
Reasons for expatriation failure include:
 Selection of a wrong/unsuitable candidate
who does not have enough interest or
patience required for a foreign assignment.
 Lack of personal skills of the assignee
such as communication, leadership,
time/stress management skills, learning
skills, etc.
 Other personal factors (health problems,
lack of cultural awareness, lack of family
support etc.)
 Culture shock
 Environmental factors (different language,
unsuitable climate, unfavourable political,
economic, legal factors etc. ) in the new
Reasons for expatriation failure include:

 Organisational factors (lack of sufficient

benefits/incentives, different organisational practices,
lack of motivation from the company, poor
relationship between the management and the
employee).
 Lack of training and awareness programs (from the
headquarter and local partner/subsidiary)
 Problems of the company’s International HRM
mechanism (e.g. inefficient monitoring, controlling,
appraising, etc.)
 Less opportunities of future growth,
 Lack of support in the repatriation stage, etc.
Factors that influence an expatriate’s success:
An expatriate’s success depends on the following variables in the following
stages of expatriation process:
1. Selection of eligible/qualified candidate: A prospective
expatriate needs the following abilities to be selected:
• High level of interpersonal, linguistic, and work-related skills;
• Cultural empathy and knowledge related to a particular country;
• Ability to adjust to the new environment and work conditions;
• Personal motivation to work and live abroad;
• Support, and motivation from their family,
• Previous international experience.
Watch the video: https://youtu.be/bIYjQ47U3I8
 2. Training and orientation:
• Cultural awareness
• Various training/orientation programs (e.g. language
training, culture, laws/regulations, different system in
the host country etc.) should to be organised by the
assigner before, during and after the assignment,

• Mentors in the host countries should to be arranged,

• Employees who have returned back from expatriation
should be encouraged to share their experiences with
other colleagues,
• Training/orientation programs to the expatriate’s family
members who will accompany the expatriate is also
necessary. (see page 200)
3. Developing cultural intelligence
(CQ):

Develop ‘Cultural
Intelligence - CQ’ of
Earley and
Mosakowski
3. Support for relocation and adjustment in the new
country: It is very important to help the expatriate to overcome the possible
challenges in his Cultural Shock and Adjustment phases. Also, the candidate himself
needs the following abilities:
• Adjustment to the different natural
environment e.g. climate, geographical
situation, food etc.
• Adjustment to the new work situation
(different work standards, expectations,
and evaluation);
• Adjustment to the interaction with the
recipient country’s local citizens (different
culture, lifestyle).
4. Financial and non-financial
incentives:
Expatriation implementation and achieved results depend on
personal qualities/skills of the expat and also the assigner’s
support.

Apart from that, MNCs need to

consider the following:
• Salary package of the candidate
selected for international
assignment motivates him/her in
such a way that he/she would
agree to go abroad for work with
extra responsibilities,
• They are also provided with the
other benefits, and nonfinancial
supports as required such as
5. Support after repatriation:
• Provide necessary orientation
programs/training to the expatriate and
also his family members before they
return to the home country,
• Take care of his and his family’s wellbeing
and justify their career expectations when
they come back,
• Continued motivation, encouragement
and support for effective application of the
repatriate’s international skills/experience
in the organisational activities.
• Promotion and other incentives.
Thank you all!