The expatriate myth: Cross‐cultural perceptions of expatriate managers

Abstract

Expatriate managers work alongside increasingly sophisticated and experienced local managers in many parts of the world, yet few researchers have examined the dynamics of the relationship between expatriates and local managers, or the attitude of local staff to their expatriate colleagues. This article seeks to redress this by reviewing existing research, and by drawing on the perceptions of Singaporean managers, highlights the tensions between local and expatriate managers and reflects some of the issues faced by multinationals who continue to employ expatriates in countries where there is sufficient indigenous management talent.

What locals want: Jordanian employees' views on expatriate managers

“…Research has also highlighted the process of localisation and development of local staff for future management roles (e.g. Hailey 1996). Harvey and Moeller (2009) have highlighted the need to develop expatriate managers' cross-cultural effectiveness depending on the evolving nature of the globalisation of business.…”

“There Is Nothing Either Good or Bad, but Thinking Makes It So” – Cross-Cultural Perception and Cooperation in Bangladesh – It’s Not About Culture

“…When comparing the theory by Hailey (1996) towards the findings in the interviews there is partial congruence. Hailey (1996) provides that local Singaporean managers feel underappreciated by expatriate managers, which came forward from one local Bangladeshi in the sample.…”

“…Hailey (1996) provides that local Singaporean managers feel underappreciated by expatriate managers, which came forward from one local Bangladeshi in the sample. It also came forward from one local Bangladeshi manager that in his career, he experienced an expat who was insensitive regarding culture and thereby had a negative effect on the ability to perform in the organization, which is congruent to the theory of Hailey (1996), discussing Singaporean expat management. However, the majority of the expats and the local counterparts did not perceive this problem, this might have to do with the fact that most Bangladeshi management is still in a developing stage and the situation is not completely comparable to Singapore.…”

The Transnationalization of Labor Mobility: Development Trends and Selected Challenges Involved in Its Regulation

“…This is because in the country to which they are sent, actors who engage in cross-border mobility work in direct contact with co-workers who are on the same hierarchy level and in the same functional group as they are, but whose working conditions are significantly different from their own. This creates a situation of competition that might prove difficult for organizations and their employees (Hailey, 1996), and that might affect the motivation of local employees who feel that they are paid and treated less well than their transnationally mobile peers (see, e.g., Chao et al, 2002;Konopaske & Werner, 2002). However, the degree of transnational inequality varies depending on the countries involved and on the (collectively bargained) employment conditions for posted workers.…”

“…An analysis of expatriates, for example, would have to give special consideration to the interests of the increasing number of dual career couples. It is far from standard procedure for organizations to support the partners of assignees in finding employment in the country of assignment or to help assignees achieve a satisfactory work-family balance, which is particularly important for employees on assignments abroad (Hailey, 1996). The general trend towards a rationalization of employee posting also has specific negative effects on assignees' families, such as when employees are sent on short-term or regional distance assignments without due consideration of the effect this might have on the assignees' partner (Adick et al, 2014;Park/Mense-Petermann, 2014).…”