Traditionally, the expat him or herself was considered the sole actor in his/her adjustment process, but recent literature suggests that host country nationals also play an important role in the expat adjustment process. It seems that the socialisation tactics of the organisation and the information-seeking process of the individual have been overlooked as factors in the success of expats.

Expats will also experience socialisation in the host country national culture. This distinction between socialisation in an organisation and in the host country national culture is essential. Because incoming expats are new organisational members, it is likely that they may not recognize the boundaries between organisational and national culture.

Socialisation in this context can be defined as the process by which an individual fits in or becomes adjusted to a new role in the organisation and learns the content of information necessary for adjustment to this new role.  It is essentially a learning process and has been described as an expatriate coping strategy (Stahl and Caligiuri, 2005).

There are six dimensions to expat socialisation: politics, performance proficiency, language, people, history and organisational goals/values.

Lueke and Svyantek (2000) have suggested that in order gain an understanding of expatriate turnover, researchers must combine knowledge gained through research on both socialisation and information seeking processes. Their suggestion is supported by research confirming that the use of these socialisation tactics would affect job satisfaction and commitment to the organisation.

Overall, financial costs of expatriate turnover/failure have been estimated between USD 2 and USD 2.5 billion in recent research. Post-entry socialisation experiences then may affect expatriates’ experience of fit and value in the new organisation.

Florkowski and Fogel (1999) link perceived acceptance of expatriates in the new organisation to host socialisation efforts. Socialisation is dependent on two players: the host country nationals and the expats themselves. When either group acts discordantly the socialisation process can be disrupted.

Expats can, at times, display behaviours that are unhelpful to their own adjustment process. American expats who avoid resocialisation (socializing to a new environment) have been found to experience conflicting internal and external demands. They are unable to communicate effectively with host country nationals and are less satisfied with their situation.

Best practice in socialisation strategies can assist relocating staff members in achieving their new fit to both the organisation and a new community. However, expat motivation is key in achieving this fit and, at the same time, reducing expat turnover.

Information and feedback seeking, relationship building, negotiation of job changes and positive framing are suitable tactics for proactive socialisation.

Positive framing, which in contrast with the other techniques does not involve interactions with others, is a personal technique whereby individuals change their understanding of a situation by explicitly controlling the cognitive frame they put on the situation

The literature suggests that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to socialisation may not be effective. In order to benefit from the possible positive outcomes related to diversity at the workplace, organisations should individualize their socialisation tactics within, in particular, collectivistic organisational cultures.

Collectivistic cultures are those which favour ingroups and behave according to values and norms within these ingroups.

Organisational culture can be defined as the underlying values, beliefs, and principles that serve as a foundation for the organisation’s management system, as well as the set of management practices and behaviours that exemplify and reinforce those principles.  

This definition emphasizes the role of an organisation’s unique context in the socialisation processes. Individualized socialisation tactics which provide tailored-fit solutions for the employee, may also increase the efficiency of the learning process as it would build on established skills and knowledge.

In summary, deliberate socialisation is clearly related to expat adjustment and turnover and requires participation of host country nationals.  It takes two to tango!


Dr. B.J.L. van den Anker received his PhD in Business and Management from the International Graduate School of Business of the University of South Australia.  He hails from the Netherlands and has extensive experience living and working in SE Asia. His (I)HRM and cross-cultural consultancy assignments focus primarily on western-Asian contexts. He can be contacted at vandenanker@yahoo.com.

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