Psychological contracts: enhancing understanding of the expatriation experience

Abstract

In this introduction, we undertake a critical review of the state of research examining psychological contracts (PCs) as they pertain to the experience of expatriation and expatriates. Though expatriation as an activity has diversified greatly in recent decades -with the growth of self-initiated expatriation, more short-term, flexible and commuter assignments and a broadening of the expatriate profile with a wider range of people choosing to expatriate -there has been limited research published thus far examining expatriates' perceptions of their PC and how it is affected by working inter-culturally. This introduction briefly traces the history of PC research and expatriates/expatriation and the employment relationship, and then considers the extant research specifically examining PCs in relation to expatriates/ expatriation. The articles included in the special issue address a range of areas identified in the call for papers and provide valuable insights into expatriation and expatriates' experience including: expatriate PC breach; expatriate PC fulfilment; preand post-assignment PC as perceived by repatriates; PC of flexpatriates; and, episodic formation of expatriate PCs. Given the relatively underexplored area of expatriate/expatriationrelated PC research, the special issue establishes a platform for undertaking future research in this field.

Understanding the effects of toxic leadership on expatriates' readiness for innovation: an Uzbekistan case

“…Hence, this study as the first empirical attempt in Uzbekistan explored the effect of toxic leadership on self-initiated and company assigned expatriates' readiness for innovation. Expatriate assignments can offer an exciting international opportunity and cross-cultural adventure with several advantages that can include personal development, international job mobility, career advancement, skill acquisition, and financial benefits (O'Donohue, Hutchings, & Hansen, 2018). Conversely, expatriate experiences can attract several drawbacks that manifest in for example social and family tension, culture shock, unfair treatment, bullying, stress, ill-treatment, loss of status, job insecurity, and a high degree of uncertainty (Andresen, Bergdolt, Margenfeld, & Dickmann, 2014;AlMazrouei & Zacca, 2015).…”

Psychological Contract Breach and Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Reviews

“…A total of 45 potentially relevant systematic reviews were retrieved in full text. The further full-text examination of the retrieved papers allowed us to exclude the following: six duplicates, ten book reviews, one empirical study [ 31 ], one review focused on other work-related topics [ 32 ], one corrigendum article, one review focused on students’ psychological contract [ 33 ], and 17 theoretical reviews [ 6 , 23 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ]. Finally, only 8 systematic reviews and meta-analyses met the inclusion criteria [ 22 , 24 , 27 , 28 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 ].…”

Career Barriers of Chinese Self-Expatriate Women: Neither Double Jeopardy nor Ethnic Prominence

“…The employment relationship has been changing over the past decades, moving from normative (as in most part of the previous century) toward less standardized employment relations based on individualized deals and more fragile ties between employees and employers (e.g., Kalleberg and Marsden, 2015). This change has been parallel (partly causing and partly being the cause) to globalization, a manifestation of which is the movement of labor, such as SIEs, across national borders (O'Donohue et al, 2018). The way gender and ethnicity impacts work and career experiences of expatriates must have implications for their motivation, performance and intentions to stay in the host country, and it is therefore important for all stakeholders: SIEs themselves, their host country employers, and host countries.…”