{"title":"Identity work in the backstage: exploring the role of expatriate bubbles in identity work of self-initiated expatriate engineers through a Goffmanian lens","authors":"Vanda Papafilippou, Christina Efthymiadou","doi":"10.1108/jgm-06-2022-0031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-06-2022-0031","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeWhile there is vast research on expatriate adjustment, it is still known very little on how self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) in particular might cope with identity conflicts and how they engage with identity work. What is more, although there is some literature on the existence of expatriate bubbles, this does not cover how these bubbles might impact identity work. The purpose of this paper is to explore identity work that is taking place within expatriate bubbles and thus advance our knowledge on both expatriate bubbles and expatriate adjustment.Design/methodology/approachThe study reports on the analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interview data collected from 37 self-initiated expatriate engineers from Greece, Spain and Italy, currently residing in Bristol, UK.FindingsPrevious studies have argued that expatriate bubbles impede adjustment. The study analysis, however, shows that expatriate bubbles can be not only a powerful mechanism for coping with foreignness and strengthening their sense of belonging but also act as identity workspaces where SIEs engaged with identity work and navigated identity conflicts.Originality/valueThe present study addresses two empirical gaps: the paucity of literature on the identity work that self-initiated expatriates engage with and the paucity studies on self-initiated expatriate engineers. The study also has a theoretical contribution as, drawing upon a Goffmanian dramaturgical framework sheds light on the back regions of performance taking place within expatriate bubbles. Thus, showing how SIEs relax but also rehearse their performances in order to reduce any identity gaps triggered by the new organisational and national context.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90414058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Warren Stanley Patrick, Jatinder Kumar Jha, Kumari Gargee Sharma
{"title":"Strategic international human resource management (SIHRM) framework: an integrated review and directions for future research","authors":"Warren Stanley Patrick, Jatinder Kumar Jha, Kumari Gargee Sharma","doi":"10.1108/jgm-08-2022-0039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-08-2022-0039","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis study aims to review all frameworks of strategic international human resource management (SIHRM) published between 1990 and 2022 to ascertain their relevance in the current context with a focus on methodologies and theories in the post-pandemic era.Design/methodology/approachIn this study a pool of 69 papers published in 16 journals was considered for full-text evaluation using a set of relevant keywords and pre-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria.FindingsThe number of qualitative research papers is the highest (90%) and theoretical perspectives are dominated by research-based (17%), institutional (17%) and SIHRM (14%) theories that emphasize competitive advantage, resource dependence and multiple SIHRM frameworks.Research limitations/implicationsThis research incorporates dominant theoretical perspectives and methodologies within an integrated SIHRM framework which accommodates the post-pandemic era.Practical implicationsThe integrated SIHRM framework reinforces the alignment of multiple contexts, dimensions, models and proportions to enable effective decisions for mitigating the current crisis and future research.Originality/valueThis research integrated a hybrid model of SIHRM by aligning the relevant existing SIHRM frameworks, which management can choose from to leverage the benefits that distributed remote work in an international context and decide what is most suitable for their businesses as they prepare for the future.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87593790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"“Whether you like my skin or not, I am here”: skilled racial minority migrant women's experiences of navigating career challenges in the White Icelandic labor market","authors":"Thora H. Christiansen, Erla S. Kristjánsdóttir","doi":"10.1108/jgm-05-2022-0019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-05-2022-0019","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis study aims to explore the lived experiences of skilled racial minority migrant (SRMM) women who hold management positions in the White Icelandic labor market and to understand how gender, race, ethnicity and migrant status intersect to shape experiences of privilege and disadvantage.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper phenomenological methodology was applied to analyze in-depth interviews with twelve SRMM women. Iceland provides rich context of high gender and social equality, but limited recognition of ethnic and racial differences.FindingsSRMM women's self-efficacy and agency allowed them to source strength from their background and experiences of challenges. Through reframing they adopted a mindset of resilience and determination, proactively redefined the context, turned negatively stereotyped identities into positive assets and engaged strategically with barriers based on gender, language or migrant status. In contrast, the subtle and covert nature of racial prejudice in the context of the invisible norm of Whiteness felt impossible to address.Originality/valueThe study provides insight into the experiences of SRMM women who have attained upper- and middle-management positions. The findings illuminate the overt and covert barriers that the women experience on their career journey in the context of a White labor market that emphasizes egalitarianism and gender equality but does not engage with ethnic or racial prejudice. They highlight the role of self-efficacy and agency in deploying strategies to negotiate intersecting barriers and how that agency is disadvantaged by the invisible norm of Whiteness.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89477034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Selen Kars-Unluoglu, Burcu Guneri Cangarli, Oznur Yurt, M. Gençer
{"title":"Migrants as “dissonant harmony-seekers” and migrant life in “foam”","authors":"Selen Kars-Unluoglu, Burcu Guneri Cangarli, Oznur Yurt, M. Gençer","doi":"10.1108/jgm-06-2022-0025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-06-2022-0025","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeMigration of the Turkish new middle-class – high-skilled, well-educated, young professionals – has been growing in recent years. This paper explores their migration experience and discusses the role of physical and virtual bubbles in the formation of transnational communities and processes of adjustment to a new place.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a qualitative inquiry collecting data via semi-structured interviews with 18 London-based Turkish migrants and a digital ethnographic study of three Facebook groups that bring together the Turkish migrant community in Richmond, London.FindingsFindings indicate that the migration of the new middle class differs conceptually from existing typologies. The paper proposes the concept of “dissonant harmony-seekers” and elaborates on their interactions to demonstrate that, in the Internet age, the traditional image of migrants living in isolated localised bubbles is no longer accurate. Findings also indicate a pragmatic and functional engagement with the bubbles, with migrants sporadically interacting with the bubbles to meet their individual needs in information, education and employment. Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature with the concept of dissonant harmony-seekers, which will gain more visibility in a world where the trend of democratic decline and rising authoritarianism will motivate a migratory move for people who confront a moral dissociation from the civil order in their homeland. The engagement of dissonant harmony-seekers with migrant communities challenges the conventional thinking that social identity is central to creating and maintaining bubbles. The other contribution of the paper to the literature is the metaphor of “foam” to capture the ephemeral and fugacious nature of the dynamics of migrant communities and practices.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2022-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77026261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Popping the “bubble” metaphor: separation and integration of expatriate communities","authors":"C. Miao, H. Gaggiotti, C. Brewster","doi":"10.1108/jgm-05-2022-0016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-05-2022-0016","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis paper aims to discuss multiple uses of the concept of “bubble” as a metaphor to refer to different experiences of foreign working communities and suggests a more flexible and comprehensive approach.Design/methodology/approachBased on ethnographic fieldwork conducted at different locations, the authors propose changing the use of the bubble metaphor from an analogy of living in isolation to a way of conceptualising the changing contexts and characteristics that impact the porosity and permeability of communities.FindingsThe paper suggests that when using the metaphor as a concept, the following considerations need to be taken into account: (1) the conventional thinking that “expat-bubbles” are isolated places, (2) any simplistic notion that different internationally mobile workers will be less or more immersed in the local community and (3) the use of the bubble metaphor without a careful delineation and reference to its permeability and porosity.Originality/valueThe paper helps to visualise a different dimension of the traditional taken-for-granted representation of the bubble. The bubble emerges as a rich analogical concept not to explain binomial representations of integration-separation. Rather than a simple “open” or “closed”, bubbles became more or less porous and permeable depending on the experiences of foreign working communities.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2022-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86873365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Liisa Mäkelä, Vesa Suutari, A. Rajala, C. Brewster
{"title":"Job exhaustion among assigned and self-initiated expatriates – the role of effort and reward","authors":"Liisa Mäkelä, Vesa Suutari, A. Rajala, C. Brewster","doi":"10.1108/jgm-06-2022-0028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-06-2022-0028","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis study explores whether expatriation type (assigned expatriates (AEs) versus self-initiated expatriates (SIEs)) is linked to job exhaustion via possible differences in required efforts for their jobs and the rewards they gain from them, and/or the balance between efforts and rewards. Adopting effort–reward imbalance (ERI) and job demands/resources (JD-R) theories, the authors study the possible role of ERI as a mediator between expatriation type and job exhaustion.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was carried out in co-operation with two Finnish trade unions, providing representative data from 484 assigned and SIEs. The authors test this study’s hypotheses through latent structural equation modelling, and the analysis was conducted with Stata 17.0 software.FindingsThe results show that ERI between them are correlated with the job exhaustion of expatriates in general and there are no direct links between expatriation type and job exhaustion. The required effort from AEs was higher than that from SIEs though no difference was found for rewards, and the match between effort demands and rewards is less favourable for AEs than SIEs. AEs experienced higher job exhaustion than SIEs because of the higher effort demands and greater imbalance between efforts and rewards.Originality/valueThe study examines the work well-being of two types of expatriates and explores the underlying mechanisms that may explain why they may differ from each other.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2022-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72732371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Unexplored themes in expatriate management: inspirations from the new mobilities paradigm","authors":"D. Guttormsen, Jakob Lauring","doi":"10.1108/jgm-06-2022-0033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-06-2022-0033","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a different perspective on the concept of global mobility and apply the multifaceted concept in proposing new themes to explore in expatriate management research.Design/methodology/approachThis study draws upon the theoretical underpinnings relating to the New Mobilities paradigm from sociology to outline a new perspective on global mobility and thereby describe novel themes to include in future expatriate management studies.FindingsThis study identifies four themes in need of further development within the expatriate management research field: materiality, infrastructure and access, inequality and immobility and emotional dynamics. Within each of these themes, this study presents several examples of research questions that can provide new thrust to the theory development of expatriate management research.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to draw on central ideas in the New Mobilities paradigm to propose a future research agenda for expatriate management studies. This study aims to enhance the study of “mobility” in new and unorthodox ways.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2022-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87503228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The dynamics of workplace relationships among expatriates and host country nationals in international development organisations","authors":"Rebecca Yusuf, Rita Fontinha, Washika Haak‐Saheem","doi":"10.1108/jgm-03-2022-0011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-03-2022-0011","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis paper aims to explore the dynamics of workplace relationships between expatriates and host country nationals (HCNs) in international development organisations (IDOs) through the lens of the social comparison theory. These relationships are likely influenced by the way human resource management (HRM) practices are implemented among individuals from both groups.Design/methodology/approachThe auhtors used an inductive approach and analysed qualitative data from ten expatriates and twenty HCNs employed by five IDOs in Nigeria, a risk-prone context.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that both expatriates and HCNs perceive that the HRM practices implemented by IDOs are more favourable to expatriates. This leads to further social comparisons between members of both groups, affecting their workplace interactions.Practical implicationsThe way expatriates and HCNs perceive and act towards these differential practices matters for the operations of IDOs. As such, the authors recommend that IDO management may consider acknowledging diversity in their workforce, enact inclusive practices and make deliberate investments on learning opportunities and maximise the continued investments in expatriate use.Originality/valueThis study contributes to expatriation literature by clarifying the extent to which the enactment of differential HRM practices in a risk-prone context can exacerbate upward social comparisons and significantly influence working relationships. The authors explore this outside the context of multinational enterprises, focusing on IDOs that play a valuable role in local societies.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2022-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85215835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Conflicts between expatriates and host country nationals during the acculturation process","authors":"Longzhu Dong, Hong Ren, Tingting He","doi":"10.1108/jgm-09-2021-0079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-09-2021-0079","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeConflict is one of the important aspects of the expatriate-host country nationals (HCNs) dyad. The purpose of this study is to understand how the level of conflict between assigned expatriates and HCNs emerges and evolves during acculturation over time.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on expatriate literature, diversity literature, and acculturation literature, the authors adopted a longitudinal lens and developed a conceptual model to describe the dynamic process of conflict emergence and evolvement between assigned expatriates and HCNs.FindingsThis study offers a dynamic multi-stage conceptual model with the authors' novel propositions to explain how conflicts between assigned expatriates and HCNs emerge and evolve through the acculturation process.Originality/valueThis study provided a theoretical framework demonstrating when and how conflicts between HCNs and expatriates emerge and evolve during acculturation. In doing so, the authors integrate the conflict and diversity literature with the expatriate literature and offer a theoretical foundation to enrich the authors' understanding of the conflict between expatriates and HCNs.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2022-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74521958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"African immigrants self-employment journey: navigating contextual challenges in South Africa","authors":"J. Muchineripi, W. Chinyamurindi, T. Chimucheka","doi":"10.1108/jgm-02-2022-0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-02-2022-0006","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe study explores experiences of African immigrants in their self-employment journey. South Africa has been receiving many African immigrants seeking for socio-economic survival. This presents a gap to understand the self-employment journey of such immigrants post-settlement.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative inquiry is used with semi-structured interviews using a sample of African immigrants based in South Africa. Narrative enquiry was utilised in trying to understand the African immigrant self-employment journey.FindingsThe findings show strategies used by African immigrant entrepreneurs in their self-employment journey. These include immigrant relying on established relationships to respond to contextual challenges. Further, immigrant entrepreneurs turned to borrowing from family, including personal savings and using fronts as a capital generation strategy.Originality/valueBased on the findings strategies are suggested as a useful precursor in advancing understanding of the African immigrant self-employment journey. This becomes useful especially considering ideals for assisting post-settlement of migrants.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2022-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75654597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}