The Other Half of the Picture: Antecedents of Spouse Cross-Cultural Adjustment

Scholars have argued that the adjustment of the expatriate's spouse is an important factor in the success or failure of expatriates in overseas assignments; however, they have not empirically examined which factors are related to spouse adjustment. This study is the first to systematically exam...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of international business studies 1991-09, Vol.22 (3), p.461-477
Main Authors: Black, J. Stewart, Gregersen, Hal B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adjustment
Attitude surveys
Business and Management
Business Strategy/Leadership
Comparative studies
Couples
Cross cultural
Cross cultural studies
Cross cultural training
Expatriate employees
Expatriates
Host country
Human resources
Implications
International Business
Job training
Living conditions
Male-female relationships
Management
Marriage
Multinational corporations
Occupational choice
Organization
Regression analysis
Social adjustment
Social interaction
Spouses
Standard of living
Training
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Summary:Scholars have argued that the adjustment of the expatriate's spouse is an important factor in the success or failure of expatriates in overseas assignments; however, they have not empirically examined which factors are related to spouse adjustment. This study is the first to systematically examine the antecedents of spouse cross-cultural adjustment to interacting with host country nationals and to coping with the general, foreign environment. The results indicate that firms seeking the spouse's opinion about the international assignment, the spouse's self-initiated predeparture training, and social support from family and host country nationals during the overseas assignment have a positive relationship with spouse interaction adjustment. Additionally, firms' seeking the spouse's opinion about the international assignment and standard of living have a positive relationship with spouse general adjustment, while firm-provided training and culture novely have negative relationships with spouse general adjustment. Several important research and practical implications are explored.
ISSN:0047-2506
1478-6990
DOI:10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490311