The impact of cross-cultural psychological capital and social support on expatriate effectiveness: A study of Chinese expatriates

Abstract

This thesis employs the conservation of resources (COR) theory to examine the impact of expatriates’ resources, cross-cultural psychological capital (PsyCap) and social support, with respect to expatriate adjustment and job performance. Using a sample comprising 212 Chinese expatriates, currently assigned to 56 different countries, I conclude that expatriates’ cross-cultural PsyCap is positively related to expatriate adjustment and job performance. Also, expatriates’ socio-cultural and psychological adjustment partially mediates the relationship between cross-cultural PsyCap and job performance. In addition, this research indicates that two types of social support, socio-emotional and instrumental support, are associated with cross-cultural PsyCap, expatriate adjustment and job performance. However, they function in opposite ways in relation to adjustment and job performance. Whereas instrumental support has a positive relationship with socio-cultural and psychological adjustment, socio-emotional support has an unexpectedly negative relationship with respect to psychological adjustment and job performance. Moreover, expatriates’ cross-cultural PsyCap mediates the relationship between social support and expatriate adjustment. In particular, cross-cultural PsyCap fully mediates the relationship between socio-emotional support and socio-cultural and psychological adjustment; cross-cultural PsyCap partially mediates the relationship between instrumental support and socio-cultural and psychological adjustment. An in depth discussion of findings, strengths, limitations and scholarly and practical implications are presented.