Expatriate Adjustment: A Review of Concepts, Drivers, and Consequences

Expatriate adjustment has recurrently been linked to predicting the performance of individuals, in that the better the foreign adjustment achieved, the more successfully they will perform (Takeuchi, Wang, & Marinova, Personnel Psychology, 58(4): 925–948, 2005). By reviewing empirical research on expatriate adjustment, we produce a comprehensive overview, expounding the antecedents, dimensions, and effects of expatriate adjustment. More explicitly, the multidimensionality of expatriate adjustment is elucidated, which is structured according to three dimensions, the adjustment to the general environment, adjustment to the work situation, and adjustment to interacting with host nationals. All dimensions are further explained according to individual, work-related, and non-work environmental factors. Moreover, we construct a framework for each of these dimensions, subsuming the findings as examined in prior empirical research.