Cultural Intelligence to Cultural Adaptation of Expatriates in Thailand

Abstract

Cultural diversity in the 21st century makes it imperative for managers to examine the multidimensional construct of cultural intelligence, aiming to solve cross-cultural problems, mitigate culture shock and promote a harmonious work environment. Using the quota sampling technique, this quantitative paper gathered data from three subgroups in Bangkok: Thai, Chinese and ASEAN employees from two organizations settings, consisting of heterogeneous and homogeneous employees. The relationship between the four dimensions of cultural intelligence proposed by Earley and Ang (2003), to sociocultural adaptation developed by Wilson (2013), and psychological adjustment developed by Demes and Geeraert (2014), was hypothesized. Results of Structural Equation Modeling, Multiple Group Analysis and ANOVA, fully or partially supported the predictions hypothesized, indicating differences on the dimensions of cultural intelligence and cultural adaptation across different sub-groups of expatriates, within a single national culture. The assumption of these findings is that expatriates exposed to a host culture, in contrast to their own, can be coached prior to an international assignment with cross-cultural capabilities, so as to avoid depersonalization while simultaneously mastering diverse skills in a cultural context in order to excel with job accomplishments and integration within a culture. The dual dimensions of sociocultural and psychological adjustment can be conceptualized independently, to procure an in-depth picture of expatriates from diverse cultural backgrounds.