Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the expatriate adjustment experiences of “biculturals”, defined here as individuals who have internalised at least two cultural profiles, in a host-country setting that is itself also culturally diverse.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach was adopted, involving semi-structured interviews with a small number of bicultural expatriates working in Malaysia.

Findings

The findings here echo previous studies in demonstrating bicultural expatriates’ ability (and tendency) to switch cultural frames as part of their adjustment. Despite this, however, their professional and social networks appear to still be shaped by cultural factors, with expatriates drawn towards networks whose members mainly comprise certain ethnic groups whose values and norms are perceived as being more closely aligned with those of the expatriate.

Originality/value

Though the literature on bicultural expatriates continues to grow, little emphasis has been given to a host-country setting that is itself culturally diverse. The findings here suggest that in such a setting, professional and social networks serve as an aid in the adjustment. Importantly, however, these networks, rather than being culturally impartial, as it were, may primarily comprise certain ethnic groups who are considered culturally “closer” to the expatriate in question.

中文翻译：

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混合搭配：多元文化马来西亚的双文化外籍人士

目的

本文旨在调查“双文化者”的外派调整经历，这里定义为在本身也具有文化多样性的东道国环境中内化了至少两种文化特征的个人。

设计/方法/方法

采用了定性方法，包括对在马来西亚工作的少数双文化外籍人士进行半结构化访谈。

发现

这里的研究结果与之前的研究相呼应，证明了双文化外籍人士在调整文化框架中的能力（和倾向）。然而，尽管如此，他们的专业和社交网络似乎仍然受到文化因素的影响，外籍人士倾向于其成员主要由某些种族群体组成的网络，其价值观和规范被认为与外籍人士的价值观和规范更接近。

原创性/价值

尽管关于双文化外籍人士的文献继续增长，但很少强调东道国本身具有多元文化的环境。这里的研究结果表明，在这样的环境中，专业和社交网络有助于调整。然而，重要的是，这些网络可能主要包括某些被认为在文化上与相关外籍人士“更接近”的种族群体，而不是在文化上不偏不倚。