Expatriate selection : are high self-monitors better expatriates?

Conducting business on an international scale has been the reality for large corporations for many years. To penetrate these new markets abroad, many firms have decided to use expatriates. It has been well documented in the literature that expatriate assignments are subject to very high failure rates. In the literature on expatriate adjustment several personal dimensions have been studied to see if they influence an individual's adjustment to life overseas. Some of the characteristics that are investigated time and again are cultural empathy, adaptability, cultural flexibility, diplomacy, social orientation, and willingness to communicate. A related individual characteristic is self-monitoring ability. Self-monitoring ability is the ability to observe and control one's behaviour to behave appropriately. This study examined the predictive power of self-monitoring ability on an expatriate's interaction adjustment, work adjustment, general adjustment, and job performance. The results indicate a significant positive relationship between self-monitoring ability and interaction adjustment and a significant negative relationship between self-monitoring ability and work adjustment