Examining The Impact of Perceived Organizational Support and Multicultural Personality on Cross-Cultural Adjustment- Consequences and Interventions

Abstract

Research on cross-cultural management has gained increasing attention in the past few decades due to an increase in the migration of individuals across the globe. Migration, not just across the world but also within the nation has increased, due to which there is an increase in the interaction of individuals coming from diverse cultural backgrounds and this has become challenging for business houses to deal with. In a country like India, where individuals come from different regions of India and move to different states to have better employment prospects, infrastructure facilities, etc. A majority of empirical studies have been done on cross-cultural adjustment. However, there is a dearth of field studies measuring the impact of perceived organizational support and multicultural personality (open-mindedness) on cross-cultural adjustment in the Indian context. This study endeavored to explore the relationship between perceived organizational support, multicultural personality (open-mindedness) on cross-cultural adjustment. A comprehensive framework where the impact of cross-cultural adjustment on job performance, work engagement and turnover intention has been explored. The model is extended and included work engagement to understand the mediating role between cross-cultural adjustment and turnover intention. Also, multicultural personality (open-mindedness) was included as a moderator and observe the impact on the relationship between perceived organizational support and cross-cultural adjustment. The present study is cross-sectional in nature. Respondents from different regions of India who are working professionals in the Pharmaceutical and IT industry were asked to fill the research questions. The questionnaire was validated and the pilot survey was administered. A five-point Likert scale was used to measure all the responses received. Using survey data of 415 employees from pharmaceutical and IT companies located in different states of India, the study reports that perceived organizational support and multicultural personality (open-mindedness) affect cross-cultural adjustment which, in ii turn, affect job performance and turnover intention except for work engagement. Multicultural personality (open-mindedness) moderates the relationship between perceived organizational support and cross-cultural adjustment. Also, work engagement mediates the relationship between cross-cultural adjustment and turnover intention. Overall, the study results support suggestions that cross-cultural adjustment can be high in the presence of perceived organizational support given to the employees and if an individual has an open-minded multicultural personality trait. This study makes an important contribution to pharmaceutical and IT industry by testing the impact of perceived organizational support and multicultural personality (open-mindedness) on cross-cultural adjustment which affects employees job performance, work engagement and results into a turnover intention. Being rooted in the Indian cultural surroundings, the outcomes of the current study adds to the existing body of knowledge on Indian employees who live in a culturally diverse country and need to adjust at the workplace and outside the workplace. Since IT employees are working majorly in metropolitan cities of India and pharmaceutical employees are transferred or working in various locations with different cultures. Keywords: Perceived organizational support; multicultural personality (open-mindedness); cross-cultural adjustment; job performance; work engagement; turnover intention; pharmaceutical; information technology industry, migration, culture, India.