Intercultural interaction: A burden on international managers?

This study discusses the applicability of culture shock and cultural distance with respect to intercultural interaction, one of the cross-cultural adjustment dimensions. It examines the relationship of intercultural interaction with length of time in the host country and location of the foreign assignment. This study used a sample of 162 international managers from five multinational companies. The results suggest that the culture shock hypothesis does not hold for intercultural interaction. Rather, intercultural interaction continued to increase over time. The cultural distance hypothesis is also questioned. European managers completing a foreign assignment in Europe showed less intercultural interaction than European managers in North America and Asia. The desirability of intercultural interaction is discussed in the context of the strategic balance between global integration and local responsiveness and the need for dual citizen and mediating persons.

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