The Framework of Expatriate Adjustment and Adjustment Mode

Abstract

The empirical research on the expatriate adjustment has expanded with the usage of the framework of expatriate adjustment developed by Black, Mendenhall, and Oddou (1991) which explains the relation between the adjustment factors and the degree of adjustment. The adjustment factors consist of individual attributes, job characteristics and organizational factors all of which are beyond individual discretion. However, there should exist the choice of the mode for adjustment executed by expatriates. The purpose of this paper is to examine three adjustment facets which consist of the 14 self-assessment items and to propose the choice of adjustment modes for the expatriate adjustment and to add the relationship between the adjustment and the adjustment mode in the framework of adjustment. This paper reviewed the studies on the adjustment mode published during from 1991 to 2019 which were extracted from the internet search-engines with the keyword of “Expatriate Adjustment” and “Coping Strategy”. The studies on expatriate adjustment mainly refer to theories of stress-coping, work-role transition and acculturation. By reviewing the papers which referred to three theories, this paper develops the relation between the mode and the degree of adjustment through the newly proposed matrix of the adjustment mode.