| Popis: |
Understanding how to build intercultural relationships at work is increasing in importance. Since such relationships are ever-present in their experience abroad, I explore expatriate-local trustful relationships in the context of parent-country-national (PCN) expatriation. Based on the inter-group and inter-individual perspectives of relational development, I offer a theoretical model for building the trust of an intercultural partner. I identify three cultural (group-level) strategies—adaptation, coaching and fusion—as well as three individuated (personalized) strategies —interpersonal sensitivity, helping and out-of-work interaction. On the group level, I test whether locals’ trust mediates the relationships between PCN expatriate cultural strategies and PCN expatriate effectiveness. Crossing levels, I test whether a PCN expatriate’s trustworthiness mediates the relationship between PCN expatriate cultural strategies and a local’s trust in the PCN expatriate. On the dyadic level, I test whether a PCN expatriate’s trustworthiness mediates the relationships between the PCN expatriate individuated strategies and a local’s trust in the PCN expatriate. Finally, I examine a local’s receptivity to the strategies by testing whether (1) a local’s essentialist theory of race weakens the effects of the PCN expatriate cultural strategies and (2) a local’s need-to-belong strengthens the effects of PCN expatriate individual strategies. I use PATH modeling to test the relationships on the group level and random coefficient modeling to test all other relationships. Data were analyzed from 71 Japanese PCN expatriates and 174 of their local American colleagues across 25 Japanese-owned subsidiaries in the USA. First, I empirically differentiate three cultural strategies. Second, cultural coaching, the most influential cultural strategy, worsened the PCN expatriate-local relationship. Third, I found an indirect effect of cultural coaching on locals’ intention for future interaction with a PCN expatriate through locals’ trust. Fourth, I found that the cultural strategies lost much of their potency upon the inclusion of the individuated strategies. Fifth, benevolence was the only facet of trustworthiness that mediated the effects of the individuated strategies (interpersonal sensitivity and helping). Sixth, a local’s need-to-belong strengthened the effect of one individuated strategy (helping) on a single facet of local trustworthiness (ability). I conclude with a discussion, limitations and implications. |
