The Influence of Prior Living and Working Experience of Nordic Expatriates on Cultural Adjustment in the United States
Svala Gudmundsdottir

Abstract
Many organizations view a prior international experience as a good predictor of coping skills in the new environment, and, as a result, they have addressed this issue in the selection process. In practice, the general belief has been that an expatriate that is successful in one assignment is more likely to be successful in another, regardless of the destination (Takeuchi & Takeuchi, 2009). Research has however indicated inconsistent results and therefore it is important to get more detailed information with a focus on a specific population. This study focused on prior work and living experience in the U.S. for Nordic expatriates who are currently on an assignment in the U.S. The results indicate that living and working experience of more than two years was associated with increased general adjustment.

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