New in town, already settled in: Assessing the behavioural and experiential indicators that lead to acculturative advantages

Abstract

We supplement extant literature on acculturation by introducing a new construct – individual acculturation action profile (IAAP) – consisting of a configuration of behavioural and experiential indicators that reflect an individual’s previous and current contact with and participation in other cultures. We operationalise each IAAP indicator individually, and the IAAP construct as an aggregated index (IAAPi), by assigning different weights to each construct indicator based on the magnitude of its theorised influence. We distinguish the antecedents of IAAP at multiple levels. Whilst contextual factors are likely to enhance or hinder people’s participation in other cultures, we propose a taxonomy that addresses the dynamism between context and individual initiative. This article thereby expands literature on acculturation, offering notable implications for advantageous acculturative processes and outcomes. The proposed operationalisation of the IAAP construct at the acculturation–organisation nexus can be applied to study many walks of society and outcomes at multiple levels.