Cultural Challenges in International Assignments
- The purpose of this thesis is to enhance knowledge in the field of foreign assignments and the thereto relating cultural aspects. More in detail, this research will examine the question of what makes international assignments special, with a strong focus on cultural challenges and the subsequent adjustment process linked to coping strategies and methods. The author chose a qualitative research method to receive in-depth and rich data from the participants of the study and decided for semi-structured interviews.
The 25 interviews have been mostly done in a face-to-face manner and through the telephone, as the expatriates were located in different countries around the globe. Most of the interviews were done on-site in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and in Berlin, Germany during spring 2019. Based on 25 semi-structured interviews, findings uncovered a diverse range of challenges and coping strategies in work and non-work-related
contexts. Different perceptions of time, interpersonal interactions and efficiency were outstanding challenges, whereas the chosen coping strategy was related to the type of challenge someone faced. Active and passive coping was discovered, as well as strategies of avoiding.