Bicultural Identity Integration at Work: Effects of Identity Conflict on Role Conflict Perceptions and Exhaustion

Abstract

Identifying with more than one culture has been found to confer numerous benefits, including greater psychological and emotional well-being. However, it is not clear how bicultural identity integration (BII; defined as biculturals’ perceived compatibility between their two cultural identities) affects workplace well-being (i.e., employees’ work exhaustion). I predict that biculturals’ BII levels will influence work exhaustion through perceptions of role conflict. The results from two studies reveal that biculturals with low BII perceive conflict in their work role, and in turn, these perceptions are associated with greater work exhaustion. This research highlights the importance of BII for the effect of cultural identity on well-being. Practical implications are discussed in the context of training interventions for improving employee well-being.