Crossing cultures: a qualitative Study of expatriate experiences with mentors during international assignments.
2011-05
Loading...
View/Download File
Persistent link to this item
Statistics
View StatisticsJournal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Title
Crossing cultures: a qualitative Study of expatriate experiences with mentors during international assignments.
Authors
Published Date
2011-05
Publisher
Type
Thesis or Dissertation
Abstract
In response to the changing global business environment and to contribute to scholarly work in the areas of expatriate adjustment, mentoring, and organization and employee development, this study explores ways expatriates experience mentoring and social support while working for multinational enterprises in different cultural contexts. Extant research on cultural dimensions, leadership development, and international assignees indicates that cultural factors affect work behavior and, thus, organization performance. In the wake of conflicting findings from studies on expatriates with mentors, hermeneutic inquiry was used to interpret narratives collected from thirteen international assignees of four nationalities to gain new knowledge about mentors in an international context.
The findings indicate that the construct of mentors is defined by the cultural background of the mentor and protégé, calling into question “traditional measures” (Mezias & Scandura, 2005) of mentoring developed in the US scholarly community to assess mentor outcomes. The expatriates in this study showed an eagerness to learn and sensitivity to cultural differences, evolving into mentor roles themselves, guiding host country colleagues and home country leaders to find intercultural solutions to accomplish the organizational development goals. Although the integration of expatriate knowledge gained on overseas operations is at the core of leadership development lessons for those who aspire to roles as future global managers in transnational organizations (Adler, 2008; Bartlett & Ghoshal, 2003; Dalton, 1998; Harvey et al., 1999; Kanter, 1995) the majority of organizations represented in this study failed to go “beyond skill formation and competence creation, to embrace the diffusion and transmission of knowledge across borders and cultures” (Kamoche, 2000, p.769). These findings from the rich description of the expatriate experience reveal new knowledge, challenges and opportunities for study of organizations striving to build talent suitable for transnational leadership positions.
Description
University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. May 2011. Major: Work and Human Resource Education. Advisor: Rosemarie Park, Ed.D. 1 computer file (PDF); xii. 249 pages, appendices A-D.
Related to
Replaces
License
Collections
Series/Report Number
Funding information
Isbn identifier
Doi identifier
Previously Published Citation
Suggested citation
Cooper, Diana C.. (2011). Crossing cultures: a qualitative Study of expatriate experiences with mentors during international assignments.. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/107757.
Content distributed via the University Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. By using these files, users agree to the Terms of Use. Materials in the UDC may contain content that is disturbing and/or harmful. For more information, please see our statement on harmful content in digital repositories.