The effectiveness of cross-cultural training for expatriates: An assessment of the literature on the issue

Abstract Numerous studies have addressed the question of whether cross-cultural training makes a difference to the overseas adaptation and work performance of expatriate personnel. While this literature contains many insights, most studies have methodological weaknesses which make it impossible to take as definitive the general consensus of the literature that such training is effective. This article attempts four tasks. First, it aims to dissaggregate the concept of intercultural training such that statements made about the effectiveness of training relate as precisely as possible to specific kinds of training, a desideratum which is often absent in the literature. Second, several criteria for reliable empirical research on the effectiveness of cross-cultural training are itemized. Third, the strength and weaknesses of the major studies to date on the issue are reviewed. And finally, an outline of the requisites for a more definitive empirical study, which would attempt to measure the impact of inter cultural training on overseas performance, is presented.