One Size Does Not Fit All: Longitudinal Research into Immigrant Professionals' Perceived Lived Experience of Cross-Cultural Adjustment: A Comparative Study of Three Ethnic Groups in the New Zealand Context

Abstract

Despite their perceived significance for national economies (based on various countries' immigration policies), the adjustment of immigrant professionals to their host culture – with an eye to understanding their own, dynamic, perspective – has not been examined in depth. In particular, how do immigrant professionals from different ethnic groups differently experience adjustment, over time, within a single host country? To address the gap, this qualitative study builds on an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of sequential (phased) in-depth interviews to investigate the lived experiences of similar groups of participants (immigrant professionals) in a similar life situation (within one national context), focusing on their adjustment overall and their work adjustment specifically. By examining longitudinally the personal narratives of three strategically selected sets of recently arrived professionals from the British Isles, China, and the former Soviet Union who are employed in New Zealand, this study overcomes several past limitations affecting research into cross-cultural adjustment to conclude that although there are similarities, attention to differences is also warranted as these impact the perceived degree of adjustment. Data was gathered through three in-depth semi-structured interviews, six months apart, supplemented by five surveys, three months apart, with each of 30 immigrant professionals. In total, 90 interviews and 145 surveys were collected (4 participants failed to complete all of their surveys). This approach provided both current and retrospective observations, as perceived by the participants over the course of an entire year. Analyses highlighted differences in adjustment processes and factors as perceived by the participating ethnic groups during the period in which they were still undergoing adjustment, following changes in their understanding, perception, and attitude towards their host culture. Although the study finds that the same sets of enablers and constraints affect all three groups, each had specific categories and factors that influence them the most. The main category of enablers for work adjustment for all three groups featured competence in terms of using their own skills and having positive achievements. The contributions of this research include ascertaining enablers and constraints that influence cross-cultural adjustment of immigrant professionals, with emphasis on work adjustment, highlighting differences across groups and over time during the first four years since arrival in the host country. Changes in their attitudes towards their new life and new work were linked to factors describing their degree of adjustment, life and work satisfaction, and friendship with locals and people from their own national communities during the year-long period of data collection. In terms of practical implications, this research demonstrates that one size cannot fit all, and even groups of people exhibiting similar cultural characteristics are still influenced by a variety of factors. Such awareness is relevant not only for policymakers targeting specific cohorts of migrants, but also for their future employers, and especially for the potential immigrants themselves, so that they can better prepare for and enjoy their life experience in their new home.