Expatriates' Intercultural Effectiveness: Relevant Variables and Implications

Behavioural, attitudinal, cognitive, and personality traits factors have beenrecognized as the main determinants of intercultural effectiveness. This paperargues for the need to recognize that expatriates having similar behavioural,attitudinal, cognitive, and traits characteristics may vary significantly in theirintercultural effectiveness. This is because some expatriates may be effectiveor ineffective by chance or birth (ascribed rather than achieved). Therefore,the expatriate's 'socio-biographical' background such as his/her ethnicity, age,nationality, educational qualification, profession (role) and religion is notedas among the most significant factors that can influence intercultural effectiveness. It is argued that these variables deserve serious attention given thatthe national and ethnic backgrounds of expatriates are very diverse. Theimplications of the 'socio-biograpbical' factor on expatriate management isalso discussed.