Am I ‘In or Out’? A Social Identity Approach to Studying Expatriates’ Social Networks and Adjustment in a Host Country Context

Guo, Y; Rammal, HG; Pereira, V

Am I ‘In or Out’? A Social Identity Approach to Studying Expatriates’ Social Networks and Adjustment in a Host Country Context

Guo, Y Rammal, HG Pereira, V

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Publisher:: Elsevier
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of Business Research, 2021, 136, pp. 558-566
Issue Date:: 2021-11-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Guo, Y
dc.contributor.author	Rammal, HG
dc.contributor.author	Pereira, V
dc.date.accessioned	2021-08-11T23:06:30Z
dc.date.available	2021-08-11T23:06:30Z
dc.date.issued	2021-11-01
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Business Research, 2021, 136, pp. 558-566
dc.identifier.issn	0148-2963
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/150104
dc.description.abstract	Utilizing the Social Identity Theory, this study compares the adjustment process of self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) and organizational assigned expatriates (OEs). It explores the effectiveness of organizational training programs for expatriates and the role of host country nationals (HCNs) in the expatriate adjustment process. It further investigates how group membership at work influences the work-related outcomes related to expatriates’ personal, social and relational social identity dimensions. By interviewing key informants from three multinational enterprises (MNEs) in China, this study finds that traditional cross-cultural training practices are redundant as expatriates on various staffing patterns have a different understanding of local cultural and social values. We contribute by providing evidence of how the motivation for undertaking an assignment varies between SIEs (who view this role as a stepping-stone to find a better position in another organization) and OEs (who view this transfer as a key opportunity for promotion, within their current organization). Our findings also suggest that despite SIEs belief that they were in-group members of networks, HCNs do not distinguish between OEs and SIEs, and treated both groups as members of the out-group. We present the theoretical and practical implications of this study and provide future research directions in the paper.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Elsevier
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of Business Research
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.07.059
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess
dc.subject	1505 Marketing
dc.subject.classification	Marketing
dc.title	Am I ‘In or Out’? A Social Identity Approach to Studying Expatriates’ Social Networks and Adjustment in a Host Country Context
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	136
utslib.for	1505 Marketing
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business/Management Discipline
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	true
utslib.copyright.embargo	2024-11-01T00:00:00+1000Z
dc.date.updated	2021-08-11T23:06:29Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	136

Abstract:

Utilizing the Social Identity Theory, this study compares the adjustment process of self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) and organizational assigned expatriates (OEs). It explores the effectiveness of organizational training programs for expatriates and the role of host country nationals (HCNs) in the expatriate adjustment process. It further investigates how group membership at work influences the work-related outcomes related to expatriates’ personal, social and relational social identity dimensions. By interviewing key informants from three multinational enterprises (MNEs) in China, this study finds that traditional cross-cultural training practices are redundant as expatriates on various staffing patterns have a different understanding of local cultural and social values. We contribute by providing evidence of how the motivation for undertaking an assignment varies between SIEs (who view this role as a stepping-stone to find a better position in another organization) and OEs (who view this transfer as a key opportunity for promotion, within their current organization). Our findings also suggest that despite SIEs belief that they were in-group members of networks, HCNs do not distinguish between OEs and SIEs, and treated both groups as members of the out-group. We present the theoretical and practical implications of this study and provide future research directions in the paper.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/150104