Ist die kulturelle Anpassung von Entsandten eine Familienangelegenheit? Eine empirische Untersuchung deutscher Fach- und Fuhrungskrafte und deren Familien im Ausland

Citation

Kittler M, Holtbruegge D & Ungar M (2006) Ist die kulturelle Anpassung von Entsandten eine Familienangelegenheit? Eine empirische Untersuchung deutscher Fach- und Fuhrungskrafte und deren Familien im Ausland [Is the Cultural Adjustment of Expatriates a Family Affair? An Empirical Study of German Expatriate Managers and their Families Abroad]. Zeitschrift fur Personalforschung, 20 (2), pp. 121-140. http://www.hampp-verlag.de/hampp_e-journals_ZfP.htm#2006

Abstract
An expatriate's family has a strong impact on his/her cultural adjustment. According to the family systems theory of Minuchin (1974), there exist strong ties between expatriates, their partners, and their children which in turn influence their cultural adjustment. The objective of this article is to empirically assess the adjustment of German expatriates abroad in association with their families' adjustment. We analyze the influence of the family situation of 169 German expatriates on their cultural adjustment as well as the correlation between the cultural adjustment of the expatriate managers and their accompanying family members. Significant influences of the family situation, particularly considering the presence of children, and crossover effects between the degrees of adjustment of the family members are identified.

Keywords
International Assignments; Expatriation; Adjustment; Family; Expatriates; Spouse; Children

Journal
Zeitschrift fur Personalforschung: Volume 20, Issue 2