A local workgroup’s initial acceptance of a newcomer from a different culture is determined by the group members’ expectations of the newcomer that are influenced by his/her category stereotypes. If the resulting attitude towards the newcomer is not favorable initially, it becomes important to study how it can be changed to ensure that the workgroup functions properly. I draw from expectancy violation theory and argue that a change in group acceptance will occur if a newcomer violates a host group’s expectations of him/her. The findings of my study show evidence of changes in a foreign newcomer’s task-based and relationship-based group acceptance when the newcomer’s performance and cross-cultural adaptability do not confirm the group’s expectations. The direction of the change is determined by whether the violation that occurs is favorable or not.
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