THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS AS PREDICTORS OF EXPATRIATE'S DESIRE TO TERMINATE THE ASSIGNMENT AND SUPERVISOR‐RATED PERFORMANCE

Applying the evolutionary theory of personality, this study proposed and tested the hypotheses that each of the Big Five personality characteristics (Extroversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness or Intellect) predict two criteria of expatriate success: (a) desire to prematurely terminate the expatriate assignment, and (b) supervisor-rated performance on the expatriate assignment. The participants were 143 expatriate employees (and 94 supervisors) from a U.S.-based information technology company. Results from correlation and regression analyses suggest that Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Emotional Stability are negatively related to whether expatriates desire to terminate their assignment. Conscientiousness is positively related to the supervisor-rated performance on the expatriate assignment. Practical implications for expatriate management (e.g., self-selection) are given.

[1]  M. V. Glinow,et al.  Integrating Academic and Organisational Approaches to Developing the International Manager , 1988 .

[2]  John P. Campbell,et al.  Editorial: Some Remarks From the Outgoing Editor. , 1982 .

[3]  J. Harrison,et al.  Individual and combined effects of behavior modeling and the cultural assimilator in cross-cultural management training. , 1992 .

[4]  Hal B. Gregersen,et al.  A Multifaceted Approach to Expatriate Retention in International Assignments , 1990 .

[5]  Deniz S. Ones,et al.  PERSONALITY AND JOB PERFORMANCE: A CRITIQUE OF THE TETT, JACKSON, AND ROTHSTEIN (1991) META-ANALYSIS , 1994 .

[6]  M. D. Dunnette,et al.  Broadsided by broad traits: How to sink science in five dimensions or less , 1996 .

[7]  Paul T. Costa,et al.  More Reasons to Adopt the Five-Factor Model , 1989 .

[8]  Paula Caligiuri,et al.  Testing a theoretical model for examining the relationship between family adjustment and expatriates' work adjustment. , 1998 .

[9]  J. Stewart Black,et al.  Work Role Transitions: A Study of American Expatriate Managers in Japan , 1988 .

[10]  L. R. Goldberg.  THE DEVELOPMENT OF MARKERS FOR THE BIG-FIVE FACTOR STRUCTURE , 1992 .

[11]  Mark E. Mendenhall,et al.  The Dimensions of Expatriate Acculturation: A Review , 1985 .

[12]  J. Stewart Black,et al.  Cross-Cultural Training Effectiveness: A Review and a Theoretical Framework for Future Research , 1990 .

[13]  D. Richards.  Strangers in a strangle land: expatriate paranoia and the dynamics of exclusion , 1996 .

[14]  R. McCrae,et al.  An introduction to the five-factor model and its applications. , 1992, Journal of personality.

[15]  P. Costa,et al.  Personality trait structure as a human universal. , 1997, The American psychologist.

[16]  Geng Cui,et al.  Testing the construct validity of intercultural effectiveness , 1991 .

[17]  Gary Oddou,et al.  The overseas assignment: A practical look , 1988 .

[18]  J. Wagner,et al.  Percept-Percept Inflation in Microorganizational Research: An Investigation of Prevalence and Effect , 1994 .

[19]  Y. Zeira,et al.  Selection of Expatriate Managers in MNCs: The Host-Environment Point of View , 1985 .

[20]  P. Costa,et al.  Four ways five factors are basic , 1992 .

[21]  P. Costa,et al.  Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers. , 1987, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[22]  Paula Caligiuri,et al.  Strategic human resources: a new source for competitive advantage in the global arena , 1998 .

[23]  A. Furnham,et al.  THE FRIENDSHIP NETWORKS OF FOREIGN-STUDENTS - A REPLICATION AND EXTENSION OF THE FUNCTIONAL-MODEL , 1985 .

[24]  Joyce Hogan,et al.  Personality Measurement and Employment Decisions. Questions and Answers. , 1996 .

[25]  William B. Gudykunst,et al.  Dimensions of intercultural effectiveness: Culture specific or culture general? , 1984 .

[26]  Murray R. Barrick,et al.  THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS AND JOB PERFORMANCE: A META-ANALYSIS , 1991 .

[27]  Chockalingam Viswesvaran,et al.  Bandwidth-fidelity dilemma in personality measurement for personnel selection , 1996 .

[28]  L. R. Goldberg.  The structure of phenotypic personality traits. , 1993, The American psychologist.

[29]  William B. Gudykunst,et al.  Dimensions of intercultural effectiveness: An exploratory study , 1978 .

[30]  A. Furnham,et al.  The Friendship Patterns of Overseas and Host Students in an Oxford Student Residence , 1985 .

[31]  J. Berry,et al.  Comparative Studies of Acculturative Stress 1 , 1987 .

[32]  K. Macdonald.  Evolution, Culture, and the Five-Factor Model , 1998 .

[33]  Colleen Ward,et al.  The prediction of psychological and sociocultural adjustment during cross-cultural transitions☆ , 1990 .

[34]  Winston Bennett,et al.  THE INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNEE: THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF FACTORS PERCEIVED TO CONTRIBUTE TO SUCCESS , 1995 .

[35]  Nestor K. Ovalle,et al.  A review and meta-analysis of research on the relationship between behavioral intentions and employee turnover. , 1984 .

[36]  S. Bochner,et al.  Friendship Patterns of Overseas Students: A Functional Model , 1977 .

[37]  D. Day,et al.  Personality and job performance: Evidence of incremental validity. , 1989 .

[38]  Jack M. Feldman,et al.  Self-generated validity and other effects of measurement on belief, attitude, intention, and behavior. , 1988 .

[39]  A. Buss,et al.  Personality Traits , 1973 .

[40]  R. Wiseman,et al.  A cross-cultural confirmation of the dimensions of intercultural effectiveness , 1983 .

[41]  J. M. Digman.  PERSONALITY STRUCTURE: EMERGENCE OF THE FIVE-FACTOR MODEL , 1990 .

[42]  Newell K. Eaton,et al.  Criterion-related validities of personality constructs and the effect of response distortion on those validities , 1990 .