Abstract
Despite growing scholarly interest in self-initiated expatriates (SIEs), who leave employers at home behind to relocate to a foreign country for a new job, we still know relatively little about how home organization conditions and their perception by SIEs motivate such decisions. We examine this question based on a qualitative analysis of interviews with European SIEs who moved to North America. Using the philosophy of emancipation by Rancière as a sensitizing device, we find that SIEs view their self-initiated expatriation mainly as an act of liberation from constraining orders of evaluation in their home organization. The latter, however, also give meaning to their expatriation going forward as a critical reference for future experiences. Findings have important implications for expatriate research by elaborating on the complex interplay between individual choices and experiences, and organizational contexts.
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