Expatriates' adjustment and performance in risky environments: the role of organizational support and rewards, risk propensity and resilience

Abstract

PurposeDrawing upon the social exchange and psychological capital literature and applying a multilevel perspective, this paper examines how personal and organizational factors contribute to expatriates' adjustment and performance of international assignments in a terrorism-induced risky environment.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using a non-probability sampling approach (e.g. purposive and subsequent snowball sampling). The authors tested the hypotheses using survey data of 138 expatriates with current international assignments in Pakistan.FindingsExpatriates' perceived organizational and risk-taking propensity influences their performance through improved adjustment. Moderating effects suggest that an individual's satisfaction with the received organizational rewards strengthens the risk-taking propensity to adjustment relationship; resilience strengthens the adjustment to performance relationship.Originality/valueThis study extends existing expatriation literature by focusing on a specific type of risk factor pertinent to international assignments, i.e. terrorism. Integrating individual and organizational factors that influence adjustment and subsequent performance provides a clear picture rather if such factors are operationalized separately in the terrorism-induced risky environment context.