Proactive Personality and Cross-Cultural Adjustment
The Mediating Role of Adjustment Self-Efficacy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v10i4.1274Keywords:
adjustment self-efficacy, cross-cultural adjustment, proactive personalityAbstract
Combining proactive literature, the social learning/cognitive theory, and cross-cultural adjustment literature, we examined the sojourners’ experience from a positive perspective. Using a three-wave prospective design and a sample of 135 international students, we found that proactive personality was positively related to adjustment self-efficacy, which in turn positively related to academic and social adjustment. Meanwhile, adjustment self-efficacy mediated the link between proactive personality and adjustment. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.
References
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Prentice-Hall.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy. Freeman.
Bateman, T. S., & Crant, J. M. (1993). The proactive component of organizational behavior: A measure and correlates. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 14(2), 103–118. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030140202
Berry, J. W. (2005). Acculturation: Living successfully in two cultures. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 29(6), 697–712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2005.07.013
Bhaskar-Shrinivas, P., Harrison, D. A., Shaffer, M. A., & Luk, D. M. (2005). Input-based and time-based models of international adjustment: Meta- analytic evidence and theoretical extensions. Academy of Management Journal, 48(2), 257–28. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2005.16928400
Black, J. S. (1988). Work role transition: A study of American expatriate managers in Japan. Journal of International Business, 19(2), 277–294. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490383
Black, J. S., Mendenhall, M., & Oddou, G. (1991). Toward a comprehensive model of international adjustment: An integration of multiple theoretical perspectives. Academy of Management Review, 16(2), 291–317. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1991.4278938
Black, J. S., & Stephens, G. K. (1989). The influence of the spouse on American expatriate adjustment and intent to stay in Pacific Rim overseas assignments. Journal of Management, 15(4), 529–544. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920638901500403
Brown, D. J., Cober, R. T., Kane, K., Levy, P. E., & Shalhoop, J. (2006). Proactive personality and the successful job search: A field investigation with college graduates. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(3), 717–726. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.3.717
Caligiuri, P. M. (2000). The Big Five personality characteristics as predictors of expatriate's desire to terminate the assignment and supervisor-rated performance. Personnel Psychology, 53(1), 67–88. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2000.tb00194.x
Cao, L., Hirschi, A., & Deller, J. (2013). The positive effects of a protean career attitude for self-initiated expatriates. Career Development International, 18(1), 56–77. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620431311305953
Carlson, D. S., & Kacmar, K. M. (2000). Work-family conflict in the organization: Do life role values make a difference? Journal of Management, 26(5), 1031–1054. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920630002600502
Chao, M. M., Takeuchi, R., & Farh, J. L. (2017). Enhancing cultural intelligence: The role of implicit culture beliefs and adjustment. Personnel Psychology, 70(1), 257–292. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12142
Chen, G., Kirkman, B. L., Kim, K., Farh, C. I. C., & Tangirala, S. (2010). When does cross-cultural motivation enhance expatriate effectiveness? A multilevel investigation of the moderating roles of subsidiary support and cultural distance. Academy of Management Journal, 53(5), 1110–1130. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.54533217
Church, A. T. (1982). Sojourner adjustment. Psychological Bulletin, 91(3), 540–572. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.91.3.540
Crant, J. M. (2000). Proactive behavior in organizations. Journal of Management, 26(3), 435–462. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920630002600304
Earley, P. C., & Ang, S. (2003). Cultural intelligence: Individual interactions across cultures. Stanford University Press.
Earley, P. C., & Lituchy, T. R. (1991). Delineating goal and efficacy effects: A test of three models. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76(1), 81–98. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.76.1.81
Fan, J. (2004). New orientation program for Asian international graduate students: a field experiment [Doctoral dissertation]. The Ohio State University.
Fan, J., & Wanous, J. P. (2008). Organizational and cultural entry: A new type of orientation program for multiple boundary crossings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(6), 1390–1411. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012828
Farh, C. I. C., Bartol, K. M., Shapiro, D. L., & Shin, J. (2010). Networking abroad: A process model of how expatriates form support ties to facilitate adjustment. Academy of Management Review, 35(3), 434–454. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.35.3.zok434
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218
Frese, M., & Fay, D. (2001). Personal initiative: An active performance concept for work in the 21st century. In B. M. Staw & R. I. Sutton (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 23, pp. 133–187). Elsevier Science.
Gelfand, M. J., Aycan, Z., Erez, M., & Leung, K. (2017). Cross-cultural industrial organizational psychology and organizational behavior: A hundred year journey. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 514–529. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000186
Gong, Y., & Fan, J. (2006). Longitudinal examination of the role of goal orientation in cross-cultural adjustment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(1), 176–184. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.1.176
Griffin, A. E. C., Colella, A., & Goparauju, S. (2000). Newcomer and organizational socialization tactics: an interactionist perspective. Human Resource Management Review, 10(4), 453–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1053-4822(00)00036-X
Harrison, D. A., Shaffer, M. A., & Bhaskar-Shrinivas, P. (2004). Going places: Roads more and less traveled in research on expatriate experiences. In J. J. Martocchio (Ed.), Research in personnel and human resources management (Vol. 22, pp. 199–247). JAI Press.
Harrison, J. K., Chadwick, M., & Scales, M. (1996). The relationship between cross-cultural adjustment and the personality variables of self-efficacy and self-monitoring. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 20(2), 167–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/0147-1767(95)00039-9
Hou, N., Fan, J., Tan, J. A., Hua, J., & Valdez, G. (2018). Cross-cultural training effectiveness: Does when the training is delivered matter? International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 65, 17–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2018.03.007
Hua, J., Fan, J., Walker, A., Hou, N., Zheng, L., & Debode, J. (2018). Examinations of the role of individual adaptability in cross-cultural adjustment. Journal of Career Assessment, 27(3), 490–509. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072718765193
Hua, J., Zheng, L., Zhang, G., & Fan, J. (2019). Proactive personality and cross-cultural adjustment: A moderated mediation model. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 72, 36–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2019.06.003
Institute of International Education. (2018). International students enrollment. https://www.iie.org/Research-and-Insights/Open-Doors/Data/International-Students/Enrollment
Jones, G. (1983). Psychological orientation and the process of organizational socialization: An interactionist perspective. Academy of Management Review, 8(3), 464–474. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1983.4284600
Judge, T. A., Bono, J. E., & Locke, E. A. (2000). Personality and job satisfaction: The mediating role of job characteristics. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(2), 237–249. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.2.237
Lam, W., Lee, C., Taylor, M. S., & Zhao, H. H. (2018). Does proactive personality matter in leadership transitions? Effects of proactive personality on new leader identification and responses to new leaders and their change agendas. Academy of Management Journal, 61(1), 245–263. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2014.0503
Li, N., Harris, B., Boswell, W. R., & Xie, Z. (2011). The role of organizational insiders’ developmental feedback and proactive personality on newcomers’ performance: An interactionist perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(6), 1317–1327. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024029
Little, R. J. A. (1988). At test of missing completely at random for multivariate data with missing values. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 83(404), 1198–1202.
Luthans, F. (2002). Positive organizational behavior: Developing and managing psychological strengths. Academy of Management Perspective, 16(1), 57–72. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.2002.6640181
Maertz, C. P., Jr., Takeuchi, R., & Chen, J. (2016). An episodic framework of outgroup interaction processing: Integration and re-direction for the expatriate adjustment research. Psychological Bulletin, 142(6), 623–654. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000032
McNulty, Y. & Brewster, C. (2017). Theorizing the meaning(s) of expatriate’: establishing boundary conditions for business expatriates. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(1), 27–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2016.1243567
Molinsky, A. (2013). The psychological processes of cultural retooling. Academy of Management Journal, 56(3), 683–710. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.0492
Muthén, L., & Muthén, B. (2015). Mplus (Version 7.0) [Computer software].
Parker, S. K., Bindl, U. K., & Strauss, K. (2010). Making things happen: A model of proactive motivation. Journal of Management, 36(4), 827–856. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310363732
Parker, S. K., Williams, H. M., & Turner, N. (2006). Modeling the antecedents of proactive behavior at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(3), 636–652. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.3.636
Perrewe, P. L., & Spector, P. E. (2002). Personality research in the organizational sciences. Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 21, 1–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-7301(02)21001-4
Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2004). SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 36(4), 717–731. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03206553
Reichers, A. E. (1987). An interactionist perspective on newcomer socialization rates. Academy of Management Review, 12(2), 278–287. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1987.4307838
Ren, H., Shaffer, M. A., Harrison, D. A., Fu, C., & Fodchuk, K. (2014). Reactive adjustment or proactive embedding? Multistudy, multiwave evidence for dual pathways to expatriate retention. Personnel Psychology, 67(1), 203–239. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12034
Schaubroeck, J., Jones, J. R., & Xie, J. L. (2001). Individual differences in utilizing control to cope with job demands: Effects on susceptibility to infectious disease. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(2), 265–278. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.2.265
Schaubroeck, J., & Merritt, D. E. (1997). Divergent effects of job control on coping with work stressors: the key role of self-efficacy. Academy of Management Journal, 40(3), 738–754. https://doi.org/10.5465/257061
Seibert, S. E., Crant, J. M., & Kraimer, M. L. (1999). Proactive personality and career success. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84(3), 416–427. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.2.265
Seibert, S. E., Kraimer, M. L., & Crant, J. M. (2001). What do proactive people do? A longitudinal model linking proactive personality and career success. Personnel Psychology, 54(4), 845–874. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2001.tb00234.x
Seligman, M. E., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction (Vol. 55, No. 1, p. 5). American Psychological Association.
Shaffer, M. A., Harrison, D. A., & Gilley, K. M. (1999). Dimensions, determinants, and differences in the expatriate adjustment process. Journal of International Business Studies, 30(3), 557–581. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490083
Shaffer, M. A., Harrison, D. A., Gregersen, H., Black, J. S., & Ferzandi, L. A. (2006). You can take it with you: Individual differences and expatriate effectiveness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(1), 109–125. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.1.109
Shu, F., McAbee, S. T., & Ayman, R. (2017). The HEXACO personality traits, cultural intelligence, and international student adjustment. Personality and Individual Differences, 106(1), 21–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2016.10.024
Spreitzer, G., Sutcliffe, K., Dutton, J., Sonenshein, S., & Grant, A. M. (2005). A socially embedded model of thriving at work. Organizational Science, 16(5), 537–549. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1050.0153
Takeuchi, R. (2010). A critical review of expatriate adjustment research through a multiple stakeholder view: Progress, emerging trends, and prospects. Journal of Management, 36(4), 1040–1064. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206309349308
Takeuchi, R., Li, Y., & Wang, M. (2019). Expatriates’ performance profiles: Examining the effects of work experiences on the longitudinal change patterns. Journal of Management, 45(2), 451–475. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206317741195
Takeuchi, R., Tesluk, P. E., Yun, S. & Lepak, D. (2005). An integrative view of international experience. Academy of Management Journal, 48(1), 85–100. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2005.15993143
Tharenou, P., & Caulfield, N. (2010). Will I stay or will I go? Explaining repatriation by self-initiated expatriates. Academy of Management Journal, 53(5), 1009–1028. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.54533183
Thompson, J. A. (2005). Proactive personality and job performance: A social capital perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(5), 1011–1017. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.90.5.1011
Van Vianen, A. E., De Perter, I. E., Kristorf-Brown, A. L., & Johnson, E. C. (2004). Fitting in: Surface- and deep-level cultural differences and expatriates’ adjustment. Academy of Management Journal, 47(5), 697–709. https://doi.org/10.5465/20159612
Ward, C., & Fischer, R. (2008). Personality cultural intelligence and cross-cultural adaptation: A test of the mediation hypothesis. In S. Ang & L. Van Dyne (Eds.), Handbook of cultural intelligence (pp. 159–176). ME Sharpe.
Wood, R., & Bandura, A. (1989). Social cognitive theory of organizational management. Academy of Management Review, 14, 361–384. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1989.4279067
Zhu, J., Wanberg, C. R., Harrison, D. A., & Diehn, E W. (2016). Ups and downs of the expatriate experience? Understanding work adjustment trajectories and career outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101(4), 549–568. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000073
Zimmermann, J., & Neyer, F. J. (2013). Do we become a different person when hitting the road? Personality development of sojourners. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105(3), 515–530. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033019
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Journal of International Students
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
All published articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Unported License.