Organisational Effectiveness of Immigrant Staff in Australia: Sustaining a Culturally Diverse Workforce

The organisational effectiveness of staff members in the performance of their work duties is an important component of the sustainability of any enterprise. Rigorous qualitative studies examining the organisational effectiveness of immigrants in Western contexts are lacking. The present study addresses this research gap, incorporating a qualitative interview study with 16 newcomer immigrant staff members of a large tertiary education provider in Queensland, Australia. The literature establishes that the organisational effectiveness of staff members is positively linked to individuals’ new-country and organisational adjustment. The present study explores these concepts as they relate to the immigrant newcomers of the sample. The most prominent adjustment themes found in the study are those pertaining to difficulties associated with the difference in cultural norms and behaviours, the economic hardship of living in Australia, and the desire to receive more personalised organisational induction. Practical and theoretical contributions are offered, in the area of Human Resources Management, which advance the understanding of organisational effectiveness of immigrant newcomer staff members, in relation their new-country and organisational adjustment.