The relationship between acculturation and work-related well-being : differences between ethnic minority and majority employees

Today's organizations are becoming more and more ethnically diverse. It is important to understand what constitutes the well-being of ethnic minority employees. This study explored the extent to which acculturation orientations (assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization) were related to the well-being of 79 ethnic minority and 124 ethnic majority employees working in two different organizations. In line with predictions based on social identity theory and the acculturative stress paradigm, results showed that an integration orientation relates positively to work-related well-being, whereas a marginalization attitude relates negatively to well-being. Moreover, the relationship between acculturation orientations and work-related well-being is much stronger for ethnic minority employees than it is for ethnic majority employees. The findings underline the need to take cultural issues into account when studying well-being in culturally diverse organizations