Expatriate Management Practices Research Articles

Stressors and job burnout of Chinese expatriate construction professionals

PurposeBesides ensuring traditional project objectives, expatriate construction professionals (EXCPs) working on international projects face challenges adapting to unfamiliar environments with varying construction standards, work practices and cultural values. This puts them at a high risk of job burnout. Thus, this study aims to investigate the antecedents and outcomes of EXCPs' job burnout in the international construction industry.Design/methodology/approachBased on the Job demands-resource model (JD-R), a theoretical framework was developed. Industry-specific stressors and expatriate management practices were identified using a literature review and interviews. The authors then used a questionnaire survey to collect data from Chinese EXCPs. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were then utilized to test hypotheses.FindingsThe findings indicate that early-career EXCPs experience the most severe levels of job burnout. The paths analysis proved the direct and indirect mitigating effects of expatriate management practices on job burnout, and EXCP's job burnout was associated with poor job performance and decreased intention to stay in the international assignment.Originality/valueWhile prior research has explored job burnout among construction professionals working on domestic projects, little attention has been given to EXCPs and their unique challenges. This study aims to fill this critical gap in the literature by offering a unique perspective on the antecedents and outcomes of job burnout among EXCPs in international contexts and presents a significant contribution to understanding and addressing occupational health issues faced by EXCPs.

The Dimensions of Expatriates Acculturation in China: A Review

Trade globalization pushes multinational corporations (MNCs) to conduct business in many geographic regions, and talent flow has emerged as one of the main avenues for building the competitive advantage of international organizations. The work performance of expatriates is crucial for MNCs, which will suffer significant financial losses due to the high failure rate of expatriates. Therefore, itis important to focus on determining what led to the abroad assignment failing and then improving the expatriate’s work performance. Drawing on Black’s theory of cross-cultural adjustment, this paper reviews past research on the impact of expatriate management practices on work performance with facets of cross-cultural adjustment as a mediating variable. This paper proposes a new dimension that affects the acculturation of expatriates in China, namely Guanxi, and introduces it into the research framework. This integration offers a more comprehensive framework for future research.
 Keywords: MNCs, work performance, expatriates, Guanxi, cross-cultural adjustment

The role of regulatory focus and its influence on the cultural distance – Adjustment relationship for expatriate managers

Drawing on data from a sample of 223 expatriate managers across 34 countries, this study adds to the international expatriate management literature by introducing regulatory focus (RF) theory and examining its influence on the cultural distance (CD) – adjustment relationship. In particular, the findings disclose that promotion-focused expatriates appear to manage interaction adjustment better than prevention-focused individuals and the effect of cultural distance on general adjustment is not significant for promotion-focused expats. Practical implications for RF theory and expatriate management practices are gleaned from the study and several avenues are suggested for future research.

Global staffing and control in emerging multinational corporations and their subsidiaries in developed countries

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the control mechanisms used by multinational corporations (MNCs) from emerging economies to manage their subsidiaries in developed countries and their implications for human resource management practices.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on data collected through in-depth case studies and interviews with senior subsidiary managers of 12 major Indian information technology (IT) MNCs operating in Australia.FindingsIndian IT MNCs rely heavily on the use of people-centric controls exerted through global staffing practices (via the transfer of parent-country nationals), which, in turn, influence their subsidiary’s discretion over their HR practices. The use of people-centric controls allows Indian IT multinationals to replicate parent-country HRM practices in their Australian subsidiaries in an ethnocentric manner and significantly leverage the people-based competitive advantages from India through short- and long-term expatriate assignments.Research limitations/implicationsThe study investigates control and HRM practices from a single country and a single industry perspective. It provides an insight into the normative means of control in foreign subsidiaries of MNCs and enhances our understanding by explaining the integrated relationship that control mechanisms (and their people-centric components) have with HRM practices including the global staffing approaches and expatriate management practices of emerging MNCs.Practical implicationsIndian MNCs are using their business model to leverage the Australian immigration and skilled visa programme to maintain cost advantages. However, the immigration legislation in developed countries needs to be capable of allowing emerging multinational corporations (EMNCs) to maintain such advantages as developed countries seek to attract foreign direct investment from emerging economies.Originality/valueThe results indicate that the control practices of EMNCs are similar to the controls exerted by MNCs from developed countries. They also show that EMNCs do not adopt a portfolio approach to global staffing, and that the people-centric components of their control have a clear impact on their subsidiaries’ HRM practices.

Cultural distance and expatriate failure rates: the moderating role of expatriate management practices

This study examines moderators of the relationship between cultural distance and the two critical indicators of expatriate failure – maladjustment and premature return rates. Results based on a sample of 126 Taiwanese multinational corporations indicate that expatriate selection and performance management practices moderate the cultural distance–expatriate maladjustment relationship, and expatriate performance management practices moderate the cultural distance–premature return relationship. Additionally, these relationships were stronger when the use of practices was low. We discuss theoretical and practical implications, and offer suggestions for future research.

Ups and downs of the expatriate experience? Understanding work adjustment trajectories and career outcomes.

We examine changes in work adjustment among 179 expatriates from 3 multinational organizations from predeparture through the first 9 months of a new international assignment. Our 10-wave results challenge classic U-shaped theories of expatriate adjustment (e.g., Torbiorn, 1982). Consistent with uncertainty reduction theory, our results instead suggest that expatriates typically experience a gradual increase in work adjustment over time. Two resources that expatriates bring to their assignments (previous culture-specific work experience and core self-evaluations) moderate the trajectory of work adjustment. Trajectory of adjustment predicts Month 9 career instrumentality and turnover intention, as well as career advancement (job promotion) 1.5 years further. Implications for theory, as well as for changes in expatriate management practices, are discussed.

Expatriate Management Practices and the Role of International Assignments

Expatriate Management Practices and the Role of International Assignments

A strategic contingency approach to expatriate assignment management

This exploratory study examines how expatriate management practices differ with respect to three international management strategies (local, centralised or global) in 27 mature multinational corporations. In particular, this study examines the categories of expatriate assignments, the strategic integration of expatriate assignments into leadership development and the types of human resource practices that firms utilise to manage expatriates. Results indicate that organisations differentially assign expatriates based on the firm's respective international management strategy. Firms with a global management strategy made greater use of developmental expatriates, had a greater number of senior managers with expatriate experience and had a stronger focus on leadership development through expatriation. Firms did not differ with respect to their use of expatriate management practices based on their international management strategy.

Expatriate management “best practices” in Canadian MNCs: a multiple case study

Provides an in‐depth description of the expatriate management practices of four Canadian multinationals in order to determine how closely Canadian practices correspond to the “best practices” described in the international HRM (IHRM) literature. Toward that end, reviews the IHRM literature. A qualitative study design was employed, in the form of a holistic multiple case study with four Canadian MNCs. Results indicated that, contrary to trends noted in the literature, the Canadian firms studied do not neglect expatriate management practices, although they do not fully implement such practices either – at least not to the extent advocated in the literature. The key explanation put forth is the lack of any systematic evaluation of these practices, which might have enabled shortcomings to be more readily recognized. The other key finding was that the participating firms relied extensively on expatriates to be proactive in managing various aspects of their own careers. Discusses implications.

Expatriate management practices and perceived relevance

Expatriate management practices, such as selection, preparation, liaison with home country representatives, performance evaluation, repatriation, and career planning, are often found to fall short of the wishes of the expatriates themselves. Reports the results of a recent survey among Finnish expatriates operating around the world, which examined their opinions of their company’s practices. The results indicate that, whilst the expatriates were not entirely satisfied with the way they were managed, the management of Finnish expatriates may be closer to prescriptions of good practice than those reported from elsewhere. Potential reasons for this are explored.

Current Issues in the Expatriate Management Literature--A Checklist for Practitioners

Current ideas and research on the management of expatriates are explored through simple questions that are presented in this paper. Several important environmental influences affecting management have emerged from the current literature. These influences include tax matters, health and medical issues, risk management, economic issues, and culture. The outcomes of expatriate management are also briefly explored. A checklist for practitioners is offered so they can assess their current expatriate management practices.

Expatriate management practices of New Zealand business

In this paper data are presented from one of the first studies of expatriate management practices in New Zealand. The results reveal a number of consistencies with research reported from other countries as well as a number of apparent anomalies. In particular, New Zealand companies, like those in a number of other countries, appear to place a low value on those expatriate management practices which are linked with success (e.g., technical skills, period of incumbency and track record). Moreover, there was a low incidence of pre-departure training. However, negligible expatriate failure rates are recorded and most are attributed to ‘relational difficulties'.