Embeddedness and the Repatriation Intention of Assigned and Self-Initiated Expatriates

Abstract

Expatriation research has been intrigued by the question of how to prevent the unplanned return of expatriates to their home country. Although a majority of studies have focused on assigned expatriates (AEs), only recently have researchers expanded the scope of analysis by focusing on self-initiated expatriates (SIEs). For SIEs, research has identified job embeddedness as a key explanatory concept for early repatriation without yet acknowledging its potential to also explain the early expatriation of AEs. However, because AEs and SIEs differ in important motivational and behavioural aspects, the lack of comparative studies prohibits a deeper understanding of the mechanisms through which job embeddedness influences early repatriation. We build on belongingness theory to conceptualize early repatriation as a compensatory reaction of expatriates to an inhibited need to belong. Using a unique sample of 345 expatriates from 40 countries, we show that off-the-job embeddedness is more important for explaining the repatriation intention of AEs than of SIEs, whereas on-the-job embeddedness is more important for explaining the repatriation of SIEs compared to AEs. Our integrative model carries important theoretical implications for expatriation research and provides managerial implications for recruiting and retaining AEs and SIEs.

Repatriation of self-initiated expatriates: expectations vs. experiences

“…Andresen et al, 2014;Dickmann et al, 2018;McNulty and Brewster, 2017;Suutari et al, 2018). There are also empirical studies focusing specifically on SIEs, with topics ranging from motivation (Thorn, 2009), adjustment (Froese, 2012), embeddedness (Meuer et al, 2019), career development issues (Brewster et al, 2019;Selmer and Lauring, 2012) and SIE in developing countries (Jannesari and Sullivan, 2019). A limitation in our current understanding of SIEs, however, is that most of the knowledge is related to the process of expatriation (i.e.…”

COVID-19 and self-initiated expatriate health workers: Spanish nurses in Germany

“…The participants referred repeatedly to these good working conditions as a key reason to continue expatriation. Thus, career embeddedness (Meuer et al , 2019; Ren et al , 2014; Tharenou and Caulfield, 2010) was a major host country pull force, as the nurses were acutely aware of the professional and financial costs they would incur in the event of repatriation. Although some participants commented on the need for more health workers in Spain due to the work overload caused by the pandemic, the possibility of helping back home appeared to be, overall, a weak home country pull.…”

“…With regard to motives for repatriation, research has noted the pull force of family in the host country and the push force of weak cultural embeddedness in the host country (Tharenou and Caulfield, 2010) as well as the pull force of home country lifestyle (Carr et al , 2005; Lindsay et al , 2019). Career embeddedness in the host country, however, is a pull force for continued expatriation (Meuer et al , 2019; Ren et al , 2014; Tharenou and Caulfield, 2010).…”

Role of social and organizational support in the adjustment of Tunisian self-initiated expatriates

“…As SIEs have an experience of living in diverse cultural environments, their global competence level of SIEs is higher than other employees (Bozionelos and Singh, 2017;Vaiman et al, 2015). However, the SIEs face serious challenges in their cross-cultural adjustment that calls for further research to examine the role of social support they receive from multiple domains including family, peers and organization (Meuer et al, 2019). The cross-cultural adjustment refers to the "degree of psychological comfort with various aspects of a host country" (Black and Gregersen, 1991;Cerdin, 2002;Waxin and Chandon, 2002;Waxin, 2004;).…”