How do you fear? Examining expatriates’ perception of danger and its consequences

Purpose  The purpose of this paper is to investigate the differing perceptions of fear of expatriates operating in terror-exposed Nairobi and the high-crime environment of Johannesburg and its impact on stress and well-being. It illustrates how expatriates cope with the challenges associated with these two regions.   Design/methodology/approach  Following an interpretative and inductive research approach, qualitative content analyses were conducted using evidence from in-depth interviews with 12 expatriates in senior management or officer positions within a large global organisation, with respondents based in South Africa and Kenya.  Findings  Data suggest that expatriates in the more terrorism-exposed context perceive fear less strongly than expatriates in environments categorised by high degrees of conventional crime. Fear seems to relate to physical well-being via restricted freedom of movement, but there is little evidence that fear affects mental well-being. The study finds that respondents in terror-exposed Nairobi tend to engage more in avoidance-oriented coping strategies, whereas their counterparts in the high-crime environment of Johannesburg predominantly rely on problem-focused coping.   Practical implications  The qualitative design allows practitioners to better understand expatriates’ perceptions of fear, its consequences for stress, and well-being and potential coping strategies expatriates employ. It discusses a set of practical recommendations focussing on the deployment of expatriates assigned to dangerous locations.   Originality/value  This study develops a distinction between terror and conventional crime and contributes with practical insights for assignments into dangerous work environments. The geographic lens of the study provides an in-depth look at expatriation challenges in an arguably neglected regional context

Culture : the international dimension.

School of Managemen

Expatriate management in hostile environments from a multi-stakeholder perspective: a systematic review

Purpose The successful management of business expatriates and their families in hostile environments (HE) is a current concern for academics and human resources (HR) practitioners alike. Terrorism and other forms of violent crime have become salient topics on the public agenda, and international organizations are increasingly affected. Hence, scholarly interest in the HR implications for organizations sending staff to HEs has recently grown, and a nascent research area has emerged. This paper is the first systematic review synthesizing emerging literature in the field of expatriate management in HEs and its theoretical foundations, applying a multi-stakeholder perspective. Design/methodology/approach Following accepted review procedures, systematic searches were conducted across three major databases. Manual search in target journals provided additional scrutiny. Findings After analysing 28 articles, four main stakeholders were identified as follows: environments, expatriates, assigning organizations and the expatriates' social networks. Findings reveal the ways of how all stakeholders can affect expatiation success or be affected so that the success of the assignment is jeopardised. Originality/value Our paper illustrates how these diverse articles can be linked within a comprehensive multi-stakeholder framework and provides avenues for future research. We also shift attention to neglected theoretical perspectives that might further improve the understanding of expatriates in HEs while offering actionable guidance for managerial and organizational practices

When home isn’t home: a study of homesickness and coping strategies among migrant workers and expatriates

This paper addresses, homesickness, an important issue in the area of international human resource management. It uses psychological and sociological literature to highlight the negative effects of homesickness on migrant workers and expatriates. These effects range from psychological disruptions to physical manifestations that affect the health and welfare of individuals and impact on work performance. The paper presents a model of coping strategies used by expatriates to deal with homesickness. This model is built on the empirical evidence collected. It concludes that there is significant amount of evidence found to substantiate that homesickness is an illness and detrimental to psychological and social well-being. It is crucial that further research is undertaken in this area as affecting expatriates because the size of the investment in expatriates commands that risks of failure are minimized

International Aid and Urban Change

The presence of expatriate humanitarian workers in African cities is not neutral. Country capitals receive large and sudden influx of expatriates during humanitarian crises responses. This book examines the influence of this presence on the local urban ecosystem, from the building of a security discourse to the self-segregation of aid agencies in expatriate enclaves. The examples of Abidjan, Bamako, Juba and Nairobi illustrate different variants of urban change induced by the normative power of aid organisations

International Aid and Urban Change

The presence of expatriate humanitarian workers in African cities is not neutral. Country capitals receive large and sudden influx of expatriates during humanitarian crises responses. This book examines the influence of this presence on the local urban ecosystem, from the building of a security discourse to the self-segregation of aid agencies in expatriate enclaves. The examples of Abidjan, Bamako, Juba and Nairobi illustrate different variants of urban change induced by the normative power of aid organisations

Expatriate Adjustment and Work Performance during COVID-19 : The Role of Organisational Support in Hostile Environments

Tämä tutkimus käsittelee haitallisissa toimintaympäristöissä ulkomaankomennuksilla olleiden ekspatriaattien sopeutumista ja työssä suoriutumista. Haitallisilla toimintaympäristöillä viitataan sellaisiin maantieteellisiin alueisiin, joita uhkaavat esimerkiksi terrorismi, luonnonkatastrofit, poliittinen epävakaus tai taudit. Tutkielma keskittyy erityisesti terveysuhkia sisältäviin ympäristöihin ja edelleen siihen, millainen vaikutus niillä on ulkomaankomennusten menestymiseen. Samalla tutkitaan myös organisaation tuen merkitystä näissä asiayhteyksissä. Aiemmat tutkimukset aiheeseen liittyen ovat tyypillisesti käsitelleet ihmisten aiheuttamia uhkia kuten väkivaltaisia tekoja tai niiden vaaraa. Kuitenkin terveyteen liittyvien uhkien kohdalla on huomattava tutkimusaukko. Tutkimusaiheen merkittävyyteen sekä ajankohtaisuuteen vaikuttaa läheisesti myös koronaviruspandemia. Koronavirustauti, viralliselta nimeltään COVID-19, on aiheuttanut maailmanlaajuisen hätätilan, joka on rajoittanut yritysten toimintaa globaalisti. Samalla se on myös muodostunut huomattavaksi stressinaiheeksi ekspatriaateille, jotka ovat joutuneet kohtaamaan pandemian hyvin omalaatuisissa olosuhteissa kaukana kotimaistaan. Tämä on tuonut poikkeuksellisia haasteita heidän sopeutumiseensa sekä työssä suoriutumiseensa ulkomailla. Tämä tutkimus pyrkii selvittämään näiden haasteiden ulottuvuuksia ja tuottamaan yrityksille ehdotuksia niiden ratkaisemiseksi. Kuten edellä mainittiin, terveysuhkia käsittelevää kirjallisuutta ei juuri ole. Tämän takia tutkimuksen teoreettinen viitekehys perustuu pitkälti kirjallisuuteen, joka käsittelee väkivaltaa tai sen uhkaa sisältäviä toimintaympäristöjä. Lisäksi COVID-19:n ollessa erittäin tuore ilmiö, sen vaikutuksista ulkomaankomennuksiin ei luonnollisesti myöskään ole vielä julkaistu useita tutkimuksia. Siispä tässä yhteydessä ekspatriaattien kokemuksia on peilattu olemassa olevaan kirjallisuuteen, joka käsittelee pandemian seurauksia kotiorganisaatioiden työntekijöille. Työn empiirinen osuus puolestaan rakentuu puolistrukturoitujen haastattelujen avulla kerättyyn aineistoon. Haastatteluissa tarkasteltiin COVID-19:n aikana ulkomaankomennuksilla olevien työntekijöiden kokemuksia. Näiden haastatteluiden tulokset analysoitiin hyödyntäen abduktiivista analyysitapaa, eli yhdistämällä aikaisempaa teoriaa uudesta aineistosta tehtyihin löydöksiin. Tutkimuksen löydökset osoittavat, että ulkomaankomennusten ympäristön haasteellisuus korreloi negatiivisesti ekspatriaattien työssä suoriutumisen kanssa. Tämän korrelaation vahvuuteen vaikuttaa kuitenkin ratkaisevasti työntekijän hierarkkinen asema yrityksessä. Tämän lisäksi sopeutumisen ja työssä suoriutumisen välillä voitiin todeta positiivinen yhteys. Sopeutumisen onnistumiseen vaikuttavat muun muassa yksilön henkilökohtaiset kyvyt ja kokemukset, koetun stressin määrä, ekspatriaatin perheen sopeutuminen ja organisaation tarjoaman tuen laajuus. Työssä suoriutumista tässä ympäristössä puolestaan säätelevät yrityksen kommunikaation selkeys, etätyöskentelyn määrä sekä työpäivien pituus

The dynamics of workplace relationships among expatriates and host country nationals in international development organisations

Purpose- This paper aims to explore the dynamics of workplace relationships between expatriates and host country nationals (HCNs) in International Development Organisations (IDOs) through the lens of the social comparison theory. These relationships are likely influenced by the way HRM practices are implemented among individuals from both groups. Design/methodology/approach- We used an inductive approach and analysed qualitative data from ten expatriates and twenty host country nationals employed by five IDOs in Nigeria, a risk-prone context. Findings- Our findings demonstrate that both expatriates and HCNs perceive that the HRM practices implemented by IDOs are more favourable to expatriates. This leads to further social comparisons between members of both groups, affecting their workplace interactions. Practical Implications- The way expatriates and HCNs perceive and act towards these differential practices matters for the operations of IDOs. As such, we recommend that IDO management may consider acknowledging diversity in their workforce, enact inclusive practices, and make deliberate investments on learning opportunities and maximise the continued investments in expatriate use. Originality/Value- This study contributes to expatriation literature by clarifying the extent to which the enactment of differential HRM practices in a risk-prone context can exacerbate upward social comparisons and significantly influence working relationships. We explore this outside the context of multinational enterprises, focusing on IDOs that play a valuable role in local societies