Adjustment in international work contexts: Insights from self‐initiated expatriates in academia

Abstract

This article uses an international sample of self‐initiated academics (SIAs) in a Danish business school to explore the stance of SIAs in international work contexts towards adjustment. Building on longitudinal data this contextualized case study gives insights into the specific case of SIAs' perception and perceived relevance of adjustment processes. We present the findings regarding definitions, domains and relevance of adjustment, the temporality and subjectivity of adjustment and the specificities of adjustment in the academic context. The findings show that adjustment was relevant to all of the respondents but with a clear focus on the work domain. Furthermore, we found that subjective adjustment pressure increased over time and that the decision to go abroad was clearly related to the necessities of the occupational context. Based on the qualitative findings, a set of propositions for future research is developed that can be investigated in future studies in order to enhance the understanding of adjustment in today's diverse global mobility contexts.