Cross Cultural Training And Its Impact On Australian Expatriate Success

More and more foreign companies are operating in China and as a result expatriate numbers are on the increase. While it is argued that cross-cultural training is the largest single influence impacting expatriate success, research into China specific cross-cultural training programs is lacking.A sample of sixty-one Australian expatriates working in Nanjing were surveyed in order to have a look at the importance of cross-cultural training and its impact on expatriate success, and whether cross-cultural training needs to be more country specific. The information gathered was used to identify gaps in the current cross-cultural training programs which are being offered by companies operating in China. This was accomplished by breaking down cross-cultural training into four areas (Cultural training, Language training, Practical training and Executive briefing) and looking at the time frame of delivery and also the content.Data suggests that cross-cultural training needs to be improved in all four areas by including more country specific training content in order to maximise expatriate success rates in China. Also, the data collected and conclusions drawn contribute to the literature on the effectiveness of cross-cultural training in general and also the need for it to be very country specific when dealing with expatriates from countries of great cultural distance such as Australia.