International Human Resource Management Research Research Articles

Looking back to look forward: Disruption, innovation and future trends in international human resource management

Recent global challenges, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic, have underscored the critical role of human resources in international business, pushing disruptions and innovations to the forefront of international human resource management (IHRM) research and practice. This special issue editorial provides a timely and in-depth examination of the evolving IHRM landscape, reflecting on the profound changes brought by the pandemic and investigating the transformative potential of AI-driven innovations in shaping an uncertain future. Through our exploration, we challenge several dangerous assumptions that global leaders must navigate and propose a forward-looking research agenda for the IHRM field. Our analysis highlights five key themes: (1) demographic shifts and diversity, (2) evolving patterns in globalization and global mobility, (3) the complexities of managing global workforces, (4) emerging dynamics in international careers, and (5) the role of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and international small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Together, these themes offer a comprehensive framework for advancing IHRM research and practice in an increasingly complex and dynamic global environment.

Understanding the evolution of international human resource management research: a bibliometric review over the past 25 years (1995–2019)

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to offer a comprehensive overview of the field of international human resource management (IHRM) research by tracing its evolutionary development over a 24-year period. The study seeks to understand how the field has progressed by considering historical research themes and their subsequent integration into more recent scholarly work, thereby identifying current and emerging research trends.Design/methodology/approachThis paper employs bibliometric analysis to examine the evolutionary path of IHRM research from 1995 to 2019. A dataset of 1,507 articles from journals specializing in IHRM, international business and general management was created. Analysis at the keyword, thematic and network levels was conducted to identify trends, historical context and the interrelatedness of research themes.FindingsThe analysis reveals that IHRM research has gone through several phases of thematic focus, from initial emphasis on cultural differences and expatriate management to more recent topics like global talent management and digital transformation. Earlier research themes continue to be incorporated and re-contextualized in modern scholarship, highlighting the field’s dynamic nature.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first to use a bibliometric approach to systematically examine the evolution of IHRM research. It not only provides a historical perspective but also outlines future research trends, incorporating the institutional logic perspective. The findings offer deep insights that are valuable for researchers, practitioners and policymakers interested in the development of IHRM research and its practical implications.

Advancing Corporate Social Responsibility: Development of a Measurement Scale Unveiling Organizational Citizenship Behaviors in Culturally Diverse Environments

Abstract Objective The modern concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is increasingly becoming integrated into the practices of organizations. One of the distinctive individual competencies in CSR is the ability to work in a multicultural environment. This study proposes a suitable empirical measurement tool that facilitates understanding organizational citizenship behaviors focused on cultural diversity (OCBCs). Methodology To validate the OCBC measure, 980 participants completed the questionnaire (n = 980). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on one part of the sample as a prerequisite to a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the other part of the sample. Finding This tool enabled the identification of two main types of OCBCs: cultural initiative and cultural helping. These actions enhance organizational practices for integrating cultural diversity and promoting diverse cultural values. Value Added This study furthers the understanding of OCBCs and the role of individuals in culturally diverse contexts. This study contributes to international human resource management research and practice by developing an instrument for use in expatriate contexts or in those associated with organizational cultural diversity. It provides a deeper look at OCBs and contributes to the scientific literature on the role of human resources in promoting sustainable development in organizations. Recommendations The OCBCs measurement tool could assist human resource managers seeking to encourage and facilitate the performance of appropriate OCBCs in the workplace. This performance will allow OCBCs to facilitate informal learning.

Strategic divestment of emerging market firms: the influence of returnee managers and CEO characteristics

PurposeThis study aims to examine the role of returnee managers that can affect the strategic-divestment decision of emerging-market firms (EM firms). Drawing on arguments from the upper echelons theory and international human resource mobility perspectives, this study aims to propose that returnee managers influence corporate divestitures when the business outlook is negative. In addition, this study aims to examine the interplay between returnee managers and CEOs, whose characteristics can foster or undermine the efforts of returnee managers to engage in corporate divestments.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines 278 firms from nine emerging economies. The negative binomial regression was employed to estimate the model. In the robustness checks, the logistic regression was adopted to confirm the earlier findings.FindingsThe empirical results support the notion that returnee managers strengthen the relationship between firm performance and divestments. Because of the limited liabilities of foreignness and outsidership, returnee managers can gain social trust and credibility through communication and social interaction. Furthermore, the results provide mixed support for the moderating effect of CEO characteristics on the performance–divestment relationship.Practical implicationsThis study reveals that returnee managers are a great asset for EM firms that aim to find synergies and upgrade their capabilities through asset reconfiguration, which is an essential activity of emerging market firms to integrate themselves into the global competition. Meanwhile, CEO characteristics can foster (through their education level) or hinder (due to their age) divestment attempts, influenced by returnee managers.Originality/valueThis study explores an understudied phenomenon in international business (IB): strategic divestment of EM firms. The literature that examines strategic divestment and corporate refocusing in emerging markets is extremely limited. Furthermore, this study explores the novel topic that intersects the international business (IB) and international human resource management (IHRM) research areas. Specifically, this study investigates the impact of returnee managers on strategic divestments.

Positioning context front and center in international human resource management research

AbstractThe international human resource management (IHRM) field naturally lends itself to spotlighting the importance of internal and external organizational contexts to help understand how to manage employees in organizations effectively. However, we argue that the range of opportunities that the field creates to understand this context has not yet been fully embraced by IHRM scholars. To address this gap, this special issue explores: (a) the variety of approaches to theorizing how contexts promote or constrain organizational practice; and (b) relevant methodologies that might allow us to unearth novel context‐dependent theory in international HRM. We propose a distinction between variable‐oriented theorizing (that explains the effects of internal and external contexts on the phenomena under study) and context‐dependent theorizing (that requires researchers become intimately familiar with the setting under study to understand context as a shaper of meaning). This editorial also highlights how the articles in the special issue contribute to stimulating further context‐dependent IHRM research.

Understanding the Evolution of International Human Resource Management Research

This paper aims to depict the evolution of international human resource management (IHRM) research by mapping the semantic structure of the literature over the last 25 years. We conduct a bibliometric analysis of 1,507 articles published in the field of IHRM at the keyword, thematic, and network levels. Our analysis reveals that IHRM research has a complex semantic structure that is socially constructed. We also identify the evolution of main research trends across three time windows and branch out key themes for each time window. This study employs the bibliographic coupling analysis to provide an accurate systematic interpretation of IHRM literature to identify the main research patterns in the field of IHRM and to interpret the core themes that contributed to the evolution of IHRM research.

Informal network context: deepening the knowledge and extending the boundaries of social network research in international human resource management

While informal networking has been universally regarded as an important feature of expatriate effectiveness, respective network constructs (yongo, wasta, blat/svyazi, etc.) remain weakly understood when taking expatriates’ ability to connect to local networks into account. Drawing on informal institution and social capital theory, we present informal networks as an important contextual factor in international human resource management (IHRM), relevant to the work of expatriates in particular. We define informal networks by pointing out their distinctive nature in contrast to social networks and developing central themes to guide future research in this area. This is achieved by integrating the informal network context into research themes relevant to the IHRM domain. In this article, seven research themes centering on focal research questions are developed, which, taken together, constitute a future research agenda and expand the typical domain of IHRM research in the informal network context.

Flexpatriates: issues and challenges for short-term assignments in the United Arab Emirates

Flexpatriates are sent by their companies to different countries around the globe to execute short-term and important assignments and then immediately return home after completing their project. However, in international human resource management (IHRM) research, attention has mainly been focused on traditional expatriates. Even though alternative arrangements for global mobility, such as flexpatriation, have recently become increasingly popular among multinational corporations (MNCs), this trend seems to have been neglected in previous studies. The present study endeavours to examine the issues and challenges encountered by Western flexpatriates during short-term assignments in the UAE. The results suggest that, with minimal interventions by the human resource (HR) departments, these flexpatriate executives have been proactive while working in the UAE in self-managing their personal and family issues, work-life balance, career issues, and cultural challenges. Finally, the present study provides some suggestions for HR managers in effectively managing flexpatriates and also provides an agenda for future research in this emerging field.

Research paradigms in international human resource management: An epistemological systematisation of the field

The explicit consideration of Research Paradigms in International Human Resource Management, the title of this Special Issue, helps us in analysing and systematising the field to show how research in international human resource management is typically conducted, what preferred perspectives prevail and which approaches have been rather neglected so far. In this introduction, we map the field, and after defining the contours of international human resource management, we use the distinction between positivism and interpretivism to outline implications for the goals of international human resource management studies and associated ontological and epistemological assumptions. Next, we analyse research methods, ways to construct research questions, researchers’ roles, sampling procedures, data collection techniques, key theoretical contributions, focus on context in theory construction, quality indicators of data analysis and evaluation criteria in each of the two key research paradigms when studying international human resource management issues. In so doing, we offer a framework for the contributions made to this Special Issue, including literature reviews focusing on the systematisation of international human resource management research, using various paradigm lenses and specific methods. We sincerely hope that the notions, typologies and contributions included in this Special Issue, all based on extensive literature reviews, will help advance research in international human resource management.

An empirical analysis of research paradigms within international human resource management: The need for more diversity

The goal of this article is to provide a fine-grained analysis of international human resource management research that addresses the different perspectives applied in that research. We coded 203 peer-reviewed international human resource management articles published between 2011 and 2018 with content analytical methods guided by the compass of management research developed by Sieben, which is rooted in critical management research. We were particularly attentive to the various discursive orientations international human resource management scholars have adopted, including ideologically critical, poststructuralist, functionalist and interpretive perspectives. We further examined which methods, theoretical perspectives and topics were common within and across different perspectives. This analysis indicated that critical research intending to politicize and question existing structures and ways of organizing is still marginal. Along with the dominance of functionalist and interpretive studies, papers in our dataset commonly use a strategic human resource perspective, are predominantly interested in the human resource management–performance link and focus rather narrowly on multinational corporations and expatriates. Furthermore, while international human resource management scholars increasingly account for the contextual embeddedness of organizations through macro-level theories, they mainly apply institutional perspectives that view organizations as adapting to institutional constraints. We propose a more diverse and reflexive approach – inspired by ideologically critical and poststructuralist perspectives – that may help to overcome these blind spots. Such an approach might, for instance, look at types of organizations other than multinational corporations and individuals other than highly skilled expatriates and might explicitly bring multiple, external stakeholders into the picture. We conclude by suggesting that international human resource management research and practice would benefit from more research diversity which enables more holistic analyses of phenomena, more innovative research and resultant insights, and more space for meta-theoretical reflections.

Challenges of Conducting Experimental Research in IHRM: Review and Recommendations for Expatriation

International human resource management (IHRM) in general and expatriation literature by extension have been criticized for a lack of experimental research and evidence for causality (Zellmer-Bruhn...

An overview of contemporary international human resource management studies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the evolution of the intellectual structure of international human resource management (IHRM) studies and to propose a theory of an invisible network of knowledge (INK).Design/methodology/approachResearchers can also use this methodology to explore the knowledge network of their own fields so as to gain a vantage position with respect to their field and conduct seminal research.FindingsThe results help to profile the INK production in IHRM and provide important insights with implications for current and future research directions of IHRM studies for management scholars and practitioners.Originality/valueThis study examines the status of contemporary IHRM research over the last decade. This study examines the status of contemporary IHRM research over the last decade. With Social Sciences Citation Index citation data from the top IHRM journal, International Journal of Human Resource Management, this study used citation and co-citation analysis to identify the most important publications, scholars, and research themes in the IHRM area, and then mapped the intellectual structure of IHRM studies.

On theory, technique and text: guidelines and suggestions on publishing International Human Resource Management Research

Publishing IHRM research continues to be a challenge for seasoned as much as junior faculty. Quantitative and qualitative studies exploring HRM-related topics involving multiple countries or complex contextual factors raise issues of developing an appropriate research question, presenting multilevel methodologies and making a contribution in which context stands central. In this Editorial, we reflect on such issues as discussed at the 2nd Global Conference on International Human Resource Management held at the Pennsylvania State University (USA) in 2015. Journal editors, reviewers and authors contribute to provide practical suggestions on the craft of getting published, including design of a study, developing a writing style and dealing with journal feedback. Finally, we explore some myths and misperceptions around publishing IHRM research in high-ranking journals.

Chinese expatriate management in emerging markets: A competitive advantage perspective

Abstract Recent research draws attention to the large number of expatriates sent abroad by Chinese multinational corporations (CMNCs), especially to emerging markets. It is generally assumed that their large number, and any competitive advantage this generates, relate predominantly to their low cost, compared to other MNCs' expatriates and/or locally available labour. Our research uses an integrative perspective drawing on the resource-based view (RBV), international human resource management (IHRM) and “country of origin” literature and extensive case-study research on 27 CMNCs in 12 emerging markets. This reveals that the competitive advantage created by Chinese expatriates is closely related to the use of expatriates at both managerial and operational levels. It is achieved through human resource management that exploits their relatively lower cost, higher productivity and hardship tolerance (compared to host or third country counterparts) and their knowledge/resource reconfiguration capability, through a centralised and collective expatriation management system. These together enhance CMNCs' competitive advantage through not only offering cost effective and differentiated products but also transferring the reconfiguration knowledge. This study enhances understanding of the competitiveness of emerging market multinationals (EMNCs) by showing how the competencies, combination and management of their expatriates create a distinct source of competitive advantage. It also advances IHRM research on expatriates by investigating their use from a competitive advantage perspective.

Cross-cultural competence in the context of NGOs: bridging the gap between ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’

International human resource management research in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is scarce and it predominantly focuses on the recruitment and retention of volunteers. The context of NGOs is different from conventional for-profit international business settings with different kinds of challenges, especially in terms of providing appropriate training on managing multi-cultural teams and working with local project partners and communities. The literature also tends to focus on expatriate perspective and not on a host country perspective. We address this gap by examining how project managers and hosts experience cross-cultural issues on overseas assignments. We study volunteer project managers leading international and local youth volunteers during the Raleigh International programme in Malaysia. We use a qualitative methodology and data collected at 3 case locations via participant observation during 120 days contact with the respondents as well as interviews and surveys. We propose the CPACE (Curiosity, Passion, Adaptability, Communication and Empathy) framework describing competences needed in cross-cultural encounters and based on respondents’ actions as well as their words and it is relevant to a NGO context. The framework is intended to lay the foundation for future research and in particular to demonstrate the need for cross-cultural competence to be more grounded in particular contexts.

A conceptual framework for international human resource management research in developing economies

This paper highlights the evolution and contribution of the institutional theory perspective to the study of human resource management (HRM) transfers between advanced economies and less developed economies owing to institutional dissimilarities. The paper seeks to explore the institutional differences between advanced economies (home) and less developed economies (host) through the lens of institutional theory and how such institutional differences constrain or provide opportunities for the transfer of HRM practices. We develop a conceptual framework through the lens of institutional theory to provide useful and comprehensive insight of factors or conditions to consider when transferring HRM practices from advanced economies to less developed economies where there are institutional dissimilarities. The framework offers a broad perspective of the three dimensions of institutional theory to help multinational enterprises evaluate and explore how the differences in institutional settings between home and host countries may create opportunities or constraints in HRM practice transfers.

Managerial mindset as the mechanism of the country-of-origin effect: evidence from Chinese multinational enterprises’ approach to employer associations

The country-of-origin effect (COE) on employment practices in multinational enterprises (MNEs) has become an important area of international human resource management research. However, research on the mechanisms of the COE, a fundamental and critical aspect of the country-of-origin phenomenon, is scant. This study seeks to empirically explore the mechanisms through which country-of-origin influences Chinese MNEs’ approach to host-country employer associations. Analysis of qualitative data from 13 Chinese MNEs revealed that country of origin affected the approach of Chinese MNEs to host-country employer associations in the form of transfer of managerial norms. It also revealed that it was the mindset of those home-country nationals who were key decision-makers at subsidiaries that enabled the COE in Chinese MNEs. This paper highlights the importance for future studies of international strategic human resources management to pay attention to micro-foundations of cross-border practice transfer and to incorporate analyses of managerial cognition in the investigation of MNEs’ management practices.

Workplace accommodation for older teachers in Japan and Germany: The role of the institutional context in supporting late career options for teachers with ill health

IntroductionThe likelihood of having a physical or mental disability drastically increases with age, and especially for members of the teaching professions ( Freude, Seibt, Pech, & Ullsperger, 2005); a white collar profession that has a high prevalence of being affected especially by mental health problems such as burnout ( Hakanen, Bakker, & Schaufelli, 2006; Bauer, Unterbrink, Hack, Pfeifer, Buhlgrieshaber, Muller, Wesche, Frommhold, Seibt, Scheuch, & Wirsching,2007) which leads to depersonalisation, emotional exhaustion and/or a reduced sense of personal accomplishment and achievement (Griva & Joekes, 2003). Besides potentially affecting an individual's capability to fulfil his/her original work-related tasks, burnout directly affects individual job satisfaction (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2009) and, as a consequence, turnover intention (Yang & Lee, 2009) and, potentially, physical health (Tsuboi, Takeuchi, Watanabe, Hori, & Kobayashi, 2002).Ill health of both the physical and mental types and its effects on teacher careers has been a prominent topic in international HRM research (cf. Travers & Cooper, 1993; Goddard & Goddard, 2006; Hughes, 2001; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2011). For example, the incidence of early labour market exit due to ill-health is considered to be high in general ( Van Rijn, Robroek, Brouwer, & Burdorf, 2014) as well as among teachers, both in Europe and in North America (Bowers, 2001). This specifically applies to Germany (Weber, 2004; Bauer et al., 2007; Goetz, Loew, Hornung, Cojocaru, Lahmann, & Tritt, 2013), where, for example in the German Federal State of Hamburg, 23.4 per cent of those leaving the teaching profession prior to pension age in 2008 did so because of ill-health reasons (Bonorden, 2009). Ill-health also affects the teaching force in Japan where the amount of Japanese teachers taking leave of absence due to health reasons in general, and psychiatric disorders in particular, has increased significantly between 1995 and 2004 ( Inoue, Tanii, Kauta, Masaki, Fukunaga, & Okazaki, 2007). Furthermore, the percentage of teachers that retired prior to retirement age (age 60) in Tokyo increased from 12.8 per cent to 22.3 per cent between 1994 and 1997, and the percentage of those quitting their job in the teaching profession increased from 21.6 per cent to 24.1 per cent over the same time period (Kudomi, 1999). Reasons for ill-health, and especially for burnout, are similar across Japan and Germany, and include work intensification and changing pupil-parent-teacher relationships (Van Droogenbroeck et al., 2014, Santavirta et al., 2007, Kudomi, 1999, Yamashita and Okada, 2010); the changing image of teachers in society ( Yorimitsu, Houghton, & Taylor, 2014) and psychological factors such as increased work commitment (Kieschke & Schaarschmidt, 2008).Japan and Germany have been chosen because both countries have highly institutionalised employment and human resource management (HRM) systems managing the teaching force, with HRM policies being established at the School Authority-level (OECD, 2005; Cortina, Leschinsky, Baumert, Mayer, & Trommer, 2008). Given that health issues among the teaching force are prevalent in both countries, the comparison presented here aims to show whether and how institutional-level stakeholders are able to accommodate teachers with ill health and disabilities. This discussion aims to examine whether and how both positive and negative 'stay factors' such as employer interventions to help manage health issues and the closure of early retirement routes play out (respectively) in German and Japanese workplaces. Overall, this discussion seeks to contribute to the literature on workplace accommodation, specifically for public sector employees. It uses a qualitative lens, contextualising actual decisions over the provision of accommodations and corresponding lines of argument. The discussion also contributes to comparative HRM research generally as well as to processes of age management specifically. …

Recruitment source practices in foreign and local firms: a comparative study in Japan

While an important human resource management (HRM) function, little is known about the differences in recruitment source practices in foreign and local firms. Research on recruitment source practices is also important due to the potential HRM differences between foreign and local firms. To partially bridge this research gap, we conducted two studies to examine differences in recruitment source practices in foreign and local firms in Japan and the reasons that explain these differences. First, we conducted a qualitative, interview‐based study with 110 employees and recruitment consultants and found that not only firm ownership (foreign firm versus local firm) but also firm age, size, and industry explain differences in recruiting source practices. Second, we conducted a quantitative, survey‐based study with 800 employees in foreign and local firms to further examine contingencies in recruitment source practices. We found that foreign firms rely more on recruitment consultants but less on college recruiting, and that firm size and industry moderate the relationship between firm ownership and recruiting source practices. Taken together, our findings contribute to international HRM research by suggesting that not only firm ownership, but also firm size and industry influence recruiting source practices in foreign and local firms.

The Place of International Human Resource Management in International Business

This article addresses the issue of whether International Human Resource Management (IHRM) is disconnected from other International Business (IB) studies. A content analysis was conducted of 383 articles published in five main international business journals used by IHRM scholars as outlets for their work over a 21 year time span. We classified the articles into two streams of IHRM research: international assignment management and what we term MNC-related research. These streams were found to be given almost equal research attention, developing in tandem across the time period examined. A thematic analysis of articles within each stream facilitated the identification of areas receiving the most research concentration, those with partial attention, and topics yet to be explored. A third stream of articles we designated as non-empirical allowed consideration of theoretical developments within the field. This assessment demonstrates how IHRM is developing a stronger connection with more general IB research.