Made available in DSpace on 2015-02-24T17:22:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JuanMRG_DISSERT.pdf: 797085 bytes, checksum: fc2e2a3d6ccbb118cfa8116f0fcfce2e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-09-19 / This study aims at understanding how sociocultural adjustment occurs in the case of managers, and their spouses, expatriated to Brazil by private and public Spanish organizations. To do so, it adopts as main theoretical frame the expatriate adaptation model proponed by Parker & McEvoy (1993), based on Black, Mendenhall & Oddou s model (1991), which establishes three dimensions of adaptation: adjustment to work; adjustment to general environment and adjustment to interaction with host country nationals. This work, of exploratory and descriptive nature, used field research to gather primary data subsequently analyzed with a qualitative approach. Data collection came from individual in-depth interviews with three Spanish managers expatriated in Brazil and two of their spouses. Resulting data were analyzed through one of content analysis procedures, thematic analysis. This research shows that adjustment is obstructed by cultural distance or cultural novelty rather than by work role characteristics, being more successful in expatriates that carry previous solid sociocultural knowledge about host country. It also verifies that the degree of expatriate adjustment is enhanced by the comprehension of cultural differences that originate values and behaviors different from those of the expatriate. It points out that individual factors such as perception and relation skills, flexibility, empathy and self-efficacy are positively linked to the three dimensions of adjustment: work, general adjustment and interaction adjustment. It finds expatriate adjustment to be lowered by spouse unsuccessful adjustment and shows that location in an environment perceived as short in key infrastructures is negatively linked to adjustment in expatriates coming from strongly urban environments. It concludes that expatriate adjustment occurs through progressive understanding of host country environment and through comprehension of the sociocultural context that explains differences between host country behaviors and values and those from the country of origin, a process which is favored by expatriate individual characteristics not directly linked to his/her technical qualification, such as perception and relation skills, flexibility and empathy, together with solid sociocultural knowledge about the host country. This research propones, therefore, that organizations involved in expatriation processes should include in their selection criteria the degree to which candidates possess personal characteristics and sociocultural knowledge that may facilitate adaptation / Este estudo teve por objetivo compreender como ocorre a adapta??o sociocultural ao Brasil de gestores expatriados por empresas privadas e ?rg?os p?blicos da Espanha e de seus c?njuges. Para tanto, adotou-se como substrato te?rico principal o modelo de adapta??o proposto por Parker e McEvoy (1993), que tomando como base o modelo de Black, Mendenhall e Oddou (1991) prop?e tr?s dimens?es da adapta??o: ao ambiente de trabalho, ao ambiente geral fora da esfera organizacional e ?s intera??es com nacionais do pa?s h?spede. O estudo, de natureza explorat?ria e descritiva, usou pesquisa de campo para levantamento de dados prim?rios, que foram analisados atrav?s de abordagem qualitativa. A coleta se deu mediante entrevistas individuais em profundidade com tr?s gestores de nacionalidade espanhola expatriados no Brasil e dois dos seus c?njuges. Os dados foram objeto de an?lise atrav?s de uma das t?cnicas de an?lise de conte?do, a an?lise tem?tica. Mostra que a adapta??o v?-se mais dificultada pela dist?ncia cultural que pelas caracter?sticas da miss?o profissional, sendo mais bem sucedida em expatriados com conhecimentos pr?vios aprofundados sobre aspectos socioculturais do pa?s de destino. Verifica tamb?m que o grau de adapta??o aumenta com a compreens?o das diferen?as culturais que explicam valores e comportamentos diferentes aos do expatriado. Atesta que fatores individuais como habilidades de percep??o e de rela??o, flexibilidade, empatia e auto-efic?cia est?o positivamente relacionados com a adapta??o ?s tr?s dimens?es: trabalho, ambiente geral e intera??es sociais. Constata ainda que a adapta??o do expatriado dificulta-se quando a adapta??o do c?njuge n?o ? bem sucedida e que a localiza??o em um habitat percebido como carente de infraestruturas chave dificulta a adapta??o em expatriados procedentes de habitats fortemente urbanos. Conclui que a adapta??o do expatriado ocorre atrav?s do progressivo conhecimento do ambiente do pa?s h?spede e da compreens?o do contexto sociocultural que explica as diferen?as entre valores e comportamentos do pa?s h?spede e aqueles do pa?s de origem, processo facilitado por caracter?sticas individuais do expatriado n?o diretamente vinculadas ? sua qualifica??o t?cnica, como s?o habilidades de percep??o e rela??o, flexibilidade e empatia, al?m de s?lidos conhecimentos socioculturais sobre o pa?s h?spede. Entende, portanto, que as organiza??es envolvidas com a expatria??o de profissionais devem considerar entre os seus crit?rios de sele??o o grau em que os candidatos possuem caracter?sticas pessoais e conhecimentos socioculturais pass?veis de facilitar a adapta??o