No abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine relationships between cross-cultural adjustment and stress of expatriate employees with families in a multinational corporation and identify common stressors reported during international transitions. Design/methodology/approach – This study utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods through an online survey based tool. The CernySmith Assessment captured the statistical measures of objective adjustment scales along with written in, subjective stressor responses from a sample of expatriates. Findings – Overall subjective stress level was negatively correlated with all five objective adjustment domains (organizational, cultural, relational, behavioral, and personal). Seven stressor categories (cultural, occupational, relational, historical, crisis, spiritual, physical) demonstrated statistically significant negative relationships with overall adjustment. Regression analysis indicated expatriate adjustment was predicted by spiritual, occupational, and support stressors. Write-in stressor responses provided specific expressions of individual stress challenges, strains, and hassles that support predicted relations according to the Family Adaptation and Adjustment Response model. Research limitations/implications – This study provides a snapshot of objective adjustment interacting with subjective stress for expatriate employees from a single international organization during a specific time period. Originality/value – These findings provide insights to organizations and human resource development professionals as well as to expatriates and their families on how stress impacts expatriate adjustment. It also highlights the need for support mechanisms to ease transitions and reduce stressors.

Despite the prominence of study abroad programs, few are offered in the field of psychology. The current study sought to investigate the impact of study abroad programs in psychology through a comparison of study abroad and domestic student cultural competencies. Participants included 104 undergraduate students enrolled in either a psychology study abroad program or domestic psychology courses who completed pre–post Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory measures. Results indicated greater emotional resilience, perceptual acuity, and cultural adjustment in study abroad students when compared to domestic students. Results suggest that by incorporating the experiential learning of study abroad with psychology’s focus on human behavior, faculty can create high-impact learning environments that foster student cultural competencies.

The Problem Technology has affected almost every aspect of our lives, including education. Higher education is shifting the dynamics of delivery methods from traditional face-to-face to online to blended modes. Many universities are reaching a physical space capacity and therefore are attempting to increase online enrollment and geographical footprint. These changes are shifting the nature of higher education and how faculty are being viewed, evaluated, and, to some degree, hired. This article will focus on highlighting the challenges and opportunities of utilizing technology within universities, especially human resource development (HRD) programs. The Solution Technology is transforming higher education. Institutions can serve as an incubator to reimagine and redesign education altogether for the good of society. Online, mobile, and blended learning have become a part of our future. An important step is tracking how these models are actively enriching learning outcomes. Universities must be at the forefront of advancing progressive learning approaches and understanding the impact of technology on faculty and students. The Stakeholders The key stakeholders for this article include faculty, students, and university administrators. It will also affect businesses and human resource professionals for talent acquisition.

Purpose -Globalization is driving an increased need for leaders who possess global leadership competencies that enable them to lead effectively. The purpose of this paper is to explore the developmental experiences of global leaders in order to understand the experiences that they report to be developmental, to understand what they learned from their experiences, and to explore how the leaders learned and developed from the experiences. Design/methodology/approach -For this study, the researcher used Moustakas's phenomenological research method. Findings -Conclusions indicate that global leaders: develop through first-hand global leadership experience; learn the importance of cultural sensitivity, relationships and networks, and curiosity or desire to learn; require a unique set of global leadership competencies; are driven by curiosity, openness, and a desire to learn; and develop and learn intuitively. Originality/value -Utilizing a phenomenological research approach yielded new insight, from the perspective of the global leader, into how global leaders learn and develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motives or values, and mindsets that are important to their role, and suggested areas for further research. The findings of the study are useful in identifying implications for improving or adding to the methods, approaches, and tools organizations use to develop global leadership competencies.