Studying careers across cultures

Abstract

Purpose -This paper aims to study careers across cultures, distinguishing among international career, cross-cultural and globalization perspectives. Design/methodology/approach -The conceptual development is based on a review of four empirical papers in this special issue with a focus on "Careers in cross-cultural perspective" and other recent research in this area. Findings -Work on international careers has traditionally looked at careers that cross national boundaries, such as those involving expatriate career assignments or self-initiated international careers. Research into cross-cultural careers reflects the primary work of this special issue's articles, primarily by looking at differences between two or more cultures. Career research into globalization is more recent and more tentative. It covers how careers interact with the economic, political, social and environmental changes commonly associated with the term globalization.Research limitations/implications -The proposed framework is a reflection of current theoretical and empirical debates. Originality/value -The framework offers new guidance for both interpreting existing and developing new research.

Generalizability of career orientations: A comparative study in Switzerland and Great Britain

“…It is suggested from the present findings that future research should examine the specific impact of cultural and economic context on (differences in) career orientations in more detail. This proposition has already been put forward in the literature, but it has often been neglected (Tams & Arthur, 2007; Thomas & Inkson, 2007). Looking at the economic context at the time of the data collection, both Switzerland and Great Britain had stable and productive labour markets and, compared to other European as well as non‐European countries, offered good employment opportunities.…”

Career management attitudes among business undergraduates

“…They both encapsulate, however, the notion that contemporary career self-management no longer simply concerns vertical advancement within a single or limited set of employers but navigating more complex and less stable career pathways. These routes often cross cultural, organisational and national boundaries (Tams & Arthur, 2007), requiring the development and exploitation of strategic relationships and networks in order to realise personal needs and expectations (Eby, Butts & Lockwood, 2003). also assert the distinct nature of the different dimensions of career attitudes, arguing an individual could demonstrate boundaryless attitudes yet expect and rely on their organisation to cultivate their career.…”

Culture and Managers in a Globalised World

“…International assignments hold the potential for developing managerial competencies (Caligiuri, & Lundby, 2015). However, harnessing the competencies that expatriates develop remains a considerable managerial challenge (Tams & Arthur, 2007). The high failure of the U.S. expatriate managers in nonwestern countries assignment has driven the creation of research focused in national cultures and its effects in organisational context (Hofstede, 1980;Tayeb, 2005;Trompenaars, 1993).…”