Adapting to Cultural Diversity at Work: A Thematic Analysis of Resources Mobilized by Local and Posted Agricultural Workers in France

When workers have to adapt to a new culture, they develop intercultural skills as cultural intelligence (CQ), which is the ability to show an interest and act effectively in an environment characterized by cultural diversity. There has been little research on this subject in France, and studies have focused on expatriates, while acculturation also affects people from the local community. This is the case for local agricultural workers (LW), whose perceptions we compare with those of foreign posted agricultural workers (PW) in France. Our study had two aims: (a) to explore the personal resources that these workers perceive as necessary to adapt to cultural diversity and (b) to identify potential differences between adapting to cultural diversity at home and abroad. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 PWs, mostly Moroccan and Senegalese, and 18 French LWs, followed by a thematic content analysis. All the participants mentioned two categories of resources: first, the ability to apply moral values (e.g., respect, equality) and secondly, the ability to engage with others and to adapt culturally, at cognitive and behavioural levels. The only difference between the two groups was the order of importance given to these resources; PWs tended to give greater importance to moral values, while the LWs focused more on cultural adaptation. These results indicate the workers' awareness of the need to develop specific skills to adapt to intercultural work environments. These are discussed in relation to the four corresponding dimensions of CQ.