Thursday, April 30, 2009

Expats & Repatriates: More Creative?

Hi Everyone, Here is an article on Fast Company that might interest you, regarding whether expatriates and repatriates are more creative: Looking To Hire The Most Creative Employees? Find The Candidates Who Lived Abroad.

The Fast Company article quotes a new study whose findings were in the May issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA).

The article was "Cultural Borders and Mental Barriers: The Relationship Between Living Abroad and Creativity," William W. Maddux, PhD, INSEAD; Adam D. Galinsky, PhD, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 96, No. 5.

Here was the APA's Press Release on the article: Living outside the box: New evidence shows going abroad linked to creativity.

Here are some key quotes:

"This shows us that there is some sort of psychological transformation that needs to occur when people are living in a foreign country in order to enhance creativity. This may happen when people work to adapt themselves to a new culture," said Galinsky.

"This research may have something to say about the increasing impact of globalization on the world, a fact that has been hammered home by the recent financial crisis," said Maddux. "Knowing that experiences abroad are critical for creative output makes study abroad programs and job assignments in other countries that much more important, especially for people and companies that put a premium on creativity and innovation to stay competitive."

Maybe print a copy of this article and take it along to your next recruitment interview. ;-)

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