Expatriate Host Country Language Proficiency and Social Categorization by HCNs in MNC Subsidiaries

Expatriate host country language proficiency is often assumed to have a negative linear effect on social categorization by host country national (HCN) employees in foreign subsidiaries. Departing from this assumption, I draw on social identity theory to examine negative linear and curvilinear effects of expatriate host country language proficiency on HCN expatriate categorization. Because identity threat increases ingroup identification, I...