This article outlines a taxonomy of skills necessary for cross-cultural learning based on Kolb's experiential learning theory. Review of the empirical literature on expatriate adaptation identifies 73 skills that cluster into 10 thematic cross-cultural learning competencies. From this list, we propose here 7 essential and 2 developmental competencies for learning from cross-cultural experience. We describe the process of cross-cultural learning as the interaction between person and culture. We propose relationships between culture, learning, and success in cross-cultural adaptation and extend the concept of learning style to account for the influence of culture. Finally, we explore the implications for management development and education pedagogy.

This study presents the relationship between six typologies of cultural differences and the learning styles of Kolb's learning model. Several cross-cultural studies about learning styles indicate that learning styles may differ from one culture to another, but few studies have addressed the question of which culture is related to which learning style or ability. The present study concerns this inquiry. Exploration of this inquiry has been made in two parts. The first part investigates conceptual analogies and relationships between Kolb's model and the six cultural typologies in the domains of anthropology, cross-cultural management, and crosscultural psychology. The second part focuses on the empirical results of six comparative studies about cross-cultural differences in learning styles in the past and discusses how six propositions generated from the first theoretical examination can reflect upon their past empirical results.Those two examinations suggest that particular culture, as categorized in those domains, relates to certain learning styles or abilities.Learning styles and culture 3

Purpose -To describe the competencies necessary for managers to effectively engage in cross-cultural knowledge absorption. Design/methodology/approach -A comprehensive literature review of knowledge management and cross-cultural competency research which identifies seven thematic competencies for knowledge absorption.Findings -The study identifies and provides examples of seven cross-cultural knowledge absorption abilities: valuing different cultures, building relationships, listening and observing, coping with ambiguity, managing others, translating complex ideas, and taking action.Research limitations/implications -The research relies on a single theory of learning and integrates research into a single set of assumptions. The research has not been tested empirically. Practical implications -The paper provides a model to guide managers and others in organizations through successful knowledge transfer and absorption efforts including training, development, selection and project planning. Originality/value -The paper integrates diverse and extensive literature on knowledge absorption into a single framework based on how managers learn from experience and suggests competencies for managing absorption efforts.

We present an exploratory study of how Japanese expatriates adapt to working in the United States over time. We view expatriate adaptation to a host culture through the lens of Experiential Learning Theory and learning style. Results of two studies, using quantitative and qualitative data, conducted in Japanese multinational corporations doing business in the United States reveal how learning style in Japanese expatriates changes over time and how Japanese managers differ from their US counterparts. Results suggested that Japanese managers become more concrete and more active in their learning styles over time spent in the United States, that larger expatriate cohorts are related to slower adaptation, and that language acquisition is related to concrete learning. Results also revealed that the learning style of expatriates changes in response to cultural demands and that the patterns of change do not necessarily reflect that of US managers.We suggest that Japanese managers do not directly assimilate into US culture but develop specialized modes of adaptation to their host culture. Results of the study are generalized into eight propositions to guide future research on expatriate adaptation to a host culture.

This study aimed to investigate the latent constructs in the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale using a research context of Japanese undergraduates who learn English as a foreign language. The study conducted both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis against two different groups of Japanese undergraduate students. First, exploratory factor analysis was used to extract factors from 33 items of the scale in its application to 149 management major students. Subsequently, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the factors from the exploratory factor analysis. Data from 237 English language learners at two universities-155 undergraduates at a foreign study university and 82 at a general university-were applied to test a hypothetical model in relation to the extracted latent constructs. Results of the two factor analyses identified and confirmed two underlying components of the scale: (1) communication apprehension and (2) fear of failing. The model fit statistics illustrated that the two-factor paradigm appropriately fit the data from the second undergraduate group. Implications of the results are discussed.