ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the existing boundary spanning literature in the field of expatriation and discusses current limitations of these studies. It presents a conceptual framework which proposes different antecedents and outcomes of cultural boundary spanning that have not been part of empirical examination yet. The chapter explains the practical implications for multinational corporations. Cross-cultural adjustment refers to the degree of psychological comfort and the ease of stress that expatriates have with various dimensions of their host culture. Empirical studies and meta-analyses discuss various individual, work-related, and environmental factors influencing cross-cultural adjustment. Positive effects of cross-cultural adjustment on job satisfaction, work performance, organizational commitment, and expatriate turnover have been revealed in numerous studies. Boundary spanning is different from adjustment as it not only produces consistent behavior with one foreign culture, but rather involves bridging and linking processes such as information gathering, interacting with other assignees, and connecting previously unconnected people.
