A View from Expatriate Executives to Cross-cultural Leadership Adjustment

Abstract

Abstract: The present paper analyzes the cross-cultural leadership behavior adjustment based on the data of 354 expatriate executives from 40 countries and 16 industries. Two themes are identified:leaders' behavioral adjustment and internal organizational environment coordination. Four modes of behavior adjustment are proposed:replication, absorption, determination and Eeploration. Distribution of modes on home country, expatriate tenure, industry, age and gender are explored. Furthermore, One-Way ANOVA is used to analyze 71 paired samples of expatriate executives and their direct subordinates, aiming to compare the differences of leadership effectiveness on modes of cross-cultural leadership behavior adjustment. The findings of this paper sheds light on role expectation, behavioral adjustment and cross-cultural adaptability for expatriate executives.

Key words: expatriate executive, cross-cultural leadership, behavior adjustment, thematic analysis

Meng Lu, Qiao Kun, Lv Tu. A View from Expatriate Executives to Cross-cultural Leadership Adjustment[J]. Management Review, 2021, 33(9): 198-210.

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