Cross-Cultural Career Paths: Analyzing Traditional and Boundaryless Orientations Among Expatriates in Saudi Arabia's Banking Sector

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate differences in dominant career orientations between self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) and company-assigned expatriates (AEs). Schein’s career model provides a theoretical framework to investigate differences in career preferences and orientations between SIEs and AEs. This paper builds career constructs by dividing the eight career anchors into two groups (boundaryless and traditional-oriented anchors). The career anchor model is used to investigate if a comparable sample of SIEs and AEs drawn from the banking sector in Saudi Arabia exhibits traditional and/or boundaryless career orientations. A between-subjects design was used, and MANOVA was used to analyze data from 418 expatriates working within the Saudi banking sector to understand how the career orientations of SIEs and AEs differ. Compared to AEs, SIEs were found to be more oriented to traditional career anchors characterized by technical/functional competence and security/stability. This study makes an important contribution to existing knowledge on SIE orientations by identifying differences that exist between traditional and boundaryless careers. The findings reveal differences between SIEs and AEs regarding their technical/functional competence, security/stability, lifestyle, and pure challenge career anchors. Managers need to use bespoke HRM policies and procedures to cater to the career orientation of each expatriate cohort accordingly. This quantitative study reveals factors that impact organizationally and individually managed careers in different directions. Therefore, this study presents a clear distinction between the two career orientations and argues that they can be viewed through the lenses of boundaryless and/or traditional career perspectives.