Indian Information Technology Expatriates on an International Assignment: Impact of Pre-Departure Preparation on Initial Adjustment

Abstract

Effective preparation constitutes an important factor in ensuring the success of an expatriate assignment. Research has identified cross-cultural training as one of the key aspects in achieving inter-cultural effectiveness on an international assignment. However, there has been little attempt to explore this concept in an Indian information technology (IT) context. The study reported in this paper adopted a qualitative approach to explore the preparation of IT professionals from Indian IT multinational companies (MNCs) sent to Australia. Based on information gathered through semi-structured interviews conducted with Indian IT professionals in Australia, this research indicates how factors during the preparation for the assignment influence their expectations and impact on their initial adjustment experience.