Restoring a parched tributary in global mobility research: the study of expatriates as leaders

Abstract

PurposeThis paper explores an under-researched area in the field of global mobility, namely, the leadership behavior of expatriates. We bring attention to this largely overlooked area of research in global mobility and offer recommendations for future research in relation to this topic.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, we first map the degree to which expatriates as leaders have been studied in the field by conducting a search of the global mobility literature from 1965 to 2023. Next, we explore the potential efficacy of applying existing leadership theories to the study of expatriates as leaders, reflecting on the potential gains such an undertaking holds for both global mobility and leadership research.FindingsBased on our reflections, we conclude that the global mobility domain provides a new, rich context in which traditional leadership theories could be studied, resulting in a richer understanding of boundary conditions associated with traditional leadership theories. We also consider the potential value-added contributions to the global mobility field if its scholars were to draw from existing theory from one of the sub-fields of leadership: global leadership. To do so, we chart the evolution of the global leadership field and discuss one of its models that holds particular value, in our estimation, for future global mobility research.Originality/valueTo date, the lack of focus on expatriates as leaders has not been discussed or widely considered in the literature. This paper is a first attempt to bring to light this gap in the literature and to consider the rich possibilities future research exploring this topic holds for the field and for the practice of expatriate training and development.