Intercultural adaptation and cross-cultural competency of various nationalities employed in a virtual organization

Abstract

The Internet has become a necessary channel to accomplish various tasks. Through this medium, individuals are able to acquire jobs wherein the importance of face-to-face communication between management and worker is unnecessary. Most virtual organizations offer its workers the flexibility to work whenever they want, as well as which project they wish work on. Given the variety of projects available, there is a need for virtual workers to adapt to the various cultures of clients each time they complete a project. Thus, the study sought to understand what led the virtual workers to work for this type of organization and what keeps them motivated to continue working, their cultural preferences given the different cultures of each client, and the importance of cultural adaptation and cross-cultural competency of virtual workers. This research used the qualitative research design for the structured interview and the non-probability judgment sampling to obtain its 11 who are working as independent contractors for Rev, a US-based virtual organization. Results revealed that initial work motivation for virtual workers was purely extrinsic but their continuing work motivation then became intrinsic. Language proficiency as well as previous cultural experience is necessary for intercultural adaptation to occur. Workers were able to achieve cross-cultural competency through various forms such as media exposure, Internet research, firsthand exposure to the culture, and through similarities between the participant’s culture and the foreign culture. The results show that intercultural adaptation and cross-cultural competency are in fact advantageous skills for a virtual worker employed in an international virtual company.