Polyculturalism: Effects on Newcomer Behavior and Performance

Jaee Cho

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

As globalization intensifies, individuals from diverse cultures increasingly cross boundaries and interact with people from different cultures. Global business often demands cultural accommodation, the practice of adapting one’s behaviors to adhere to the host culture’s norms. Research shows that cultural accommodation enhances positive interactions with locals by boosting trust and perceived effectiveness. However, adapting to a new culture can be challenging, as it may create dissonance when new behaviors clash with one's cultural identity. This talk explores an important yet overlooked factor in cultural dexterity: diversity ideologies or mindsets. I investigate which diversity ideologies alleviate identity concerns, thereby enhancing cultural accommodation. I discuss three diversity ideologies: colorblindness (ignoring cultural differences), multiculturalism (emphasizing cultural distinctions), and polyculturalism (a newer framework that emphasizes interconnections between cultures). I found that polyculturalism fosters accommodation to a new culture by attenuating concerns about identity across field and experimental studies with various samples (exchange students, MBA students, employees). I further explore the downstream effect of polyculturalism on newcomers' performance via cultural accommodation. By illuminating how diversity ideology facilitates cultural accommodation, I discuss one means by which organizations can foster employees’ global success. 

Prof. Jaee Cho is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Her research centers on individuals' reactions to globalization and its consequences. She has studied how cultural crossing and mixing are interpreted and judged. Her research projects have examined the roles of individuals' mindsets, ideologies, and foreign cultural experiences in their behaviors, judgments, and creativity in the context of globalization.  She received her Ph.D. from Columbia University.