IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/intman/v28y2022i2s1075425321000600.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Expatriate family adjustment: How organisational support on international assignments matters

Author

Listed:
  • Shah, Dhara
  • de Oliveira, Rui Torres
  • Barker, Michelle
  • Moeller, Miriam
  • Nguyen, Tam

Abstract

This research examines how organisational support mechanisms extended to expatriate families influence the adjustment of the expatriate, the spouse, and accompanying children. We present data from 173 accompanying expatriate spouses in China and 135 expatriates employed in foreign and local multinationals in China. We report on expatriates' perceptions about the impact of organisational support on the adjustment of their spouse and children. We also report on their perception of how organisational support influences their own adjustment. Our study reveals that organisational support positively influences the adjustment of expatriates, their spouses and children, although the dynamics among family members differ. Noteworthy results include that children's adjustment impacts the expatriate spouse directly and the expatriate's adjustment indirectly, emphasizing the importance of direct organisational support for the family unit beyond the expatriate. The paper offers implications for international human resource management researchers and practitioners.

Suggested Citation

  • Shah, Dhara & de Oliveira, Rui Torres & Barker, Michelle & Moeller, Miriam & Nguyen, Tam, 2022. "Expatriate family adjustment: How organisational support on international assignments matters," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(2).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:intman:v:28:y:2022:i:2:s1075425321000600
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intman.2021.100880
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1075425321000600
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intman.2021.100880?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael Harvey, 1997. "Dual Career Expatriates: Expectations, Adjustments and Satisfaction With International Relocation," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 28(3), pages 627-658, September.
    2. Shay, Jeffrey P. & Tracey, J. Bruce, 2009. "Expatriate adjustment and effectiveness: The mediating role of managerial practices," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 401-412, December.
    3. Arup Varma & Pawan Budhwar & Anastasia Katou & Jossy Matthew, 2016. "Interpersonal affect and host country national support of expatriates," Journal of Global Mobility, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 4(4), pages 476-495, December.
    4. Nina Cole & Kimberly Nesbeth, 2014. "Why Do International Assignments Fail?," International Studies of Management & Organization, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(3), pages 66-79, January.
    5. Mila B Lazarova & Jean-Luc Cerdin, 2007. "Revisiting repatriation concerns: organizational support versus career and contextual influences," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(3), pages 404-429, May.
    6. Furusawa, Masayuki & Brewster, Chris, 2019. "The Determinants of the Boundary-spanning Functions of Japanese Self-initiated Expatriates in Japanese Subsidiaries in China: Individual Skills and Human Resource Management," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 25(4).
    7. Riki Takeuchi & David P Lepak & Sophia V Marinova & Seokhwa Yun, 2007. "Nonlinear influences of stressors on general adjustment: the case of Japanese expatriates and their spouses," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(6), pages 928-943, November.
    8. Dimitrova, Mihaela & Chia, Sherwin Ignatius & Shaffer, Margaret A. & Tay-Lee, Cheryl, 2020. "Forgotten travelers: Adjustment and career implications of international business travel for expatriates," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(1).
    9. Margaret A Shaffer & David A Harrison & K Matthew Gilley, 1999. "Dimensions, Determinants, and Differences in the Expatriate Adjustment Process," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 30(3), pages 557-581, September.
    10. Yvonne McNulty, 2015. "Till stress do us part: the causes and consequences of expatriate divorce," Journal of Global Mobility, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 3(2), pages 106-136, June.
    11. Sea-Jin Chang & Arjen van Witteloostuijn & Lorraine Eden, 2010. "From the Editors: Common method variance in international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(2), pages 178-184, February.
    12. Suvi Heikkinen & Anna‐Maija Lämsä, 2017. "Narratives of Spousal Support for the Careers of Men in Managerial Posts," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 171-193, March.
    13. Dhara Shah & Narendra M. Agrawal & Miriam Moeller, 2019. "Career decisions of married Indian IT female expatriates," Journal of Global Mobility, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 7(4), pages 395-418, November.
    14. B Sebastian Reiche & Maria L Kraimer & Anne-Wil Harzing, 2011. "Why do international assignees stay? An organizational embeddedness perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(4), pages 521-544, May.
    15. J Stewart Black & Mark Mendenhall, 1991. "The U-Curve Adjustment Hypothesis Revisited: A Review and Theoretical Framework," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 22(2), pages 225-247, June.
    16. Yu-Ping Chen & Margaret Shaffer, 2018. "The influence of expatriate spouses’ coping strategies on expatriate and spouse adjustment," Journal of Global Mobility, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 6(1), pages 20-39, March.
    17. Tharenou, Phyllis, 2008. "Disruptive decisions to leave home: Gender and family differences in expatriation choices," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 105(2), pages 183-200, March.
    18. Heike Schütter & Sabine Boerner, 2013. "Illuminating the work‐family interface on international assignments," Journal of Global Mobility, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 1(1), pages 46-71, June.
    19. Masoud Hemmasi & Meredith Downes, 2013. "Cultural distance and expatriate adjustment revisited," Journal of Global Mobility, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 1(1), pages 72-91, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ortlieb, Renate & Knappert, Lena, 2023. "Labor market integration of refugees: An institutional country-comparative perspective," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(2).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Caligiuri, Paula & Bonache, Jaime, 2016. "Evolving and enduring challenges in global mobility," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 127-141.
    2. Julia Goede & Nicola Berg, 2018. "The family in the center of international assignments: a systematic review and future research agenda," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 68(1), pages 77-102, February.
    3. Bader, Benjamin & Schuster, Tassilo, 2015. "Expatriate Social Networks in Terrorism-Endangered Countries: An Empirical Analysis in Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 63-77.
    4. Dimitrova, Mihaela & Chia, Sherwin Ignatius & Shaffer, Margaret A. & Tay-Lee, Cheryl, 2020. "Forgotten travelers: Adjustment and career implications of international business travel for expatriates," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(1).
    5. Vesa Peltokorpi & Fabian Jintae Froese & B. Sebastian Reiche & Sebastian Klar, 2022. "Reverse Knowledge Flows: How and When Do Preparation and Reintegration Facilitate Repatriate Knowledge Transfer?," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(7), pages 1869-1893, November.
    6. Robert Konopaske & Chet Robie & John M. Ivancevich, 2009. "Managerial Willingness to Assume Traveling, Short-term and Long-term Global Assignments," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 49(3), pages 359-387, June.
    7. Fabian Jintae Froese & Sebastian Stoermer & B Sebastian Reiche & Sebastian Klar, 2021. "Best of both worlds: How embeddedness fit in the host unit and the headquarters improve repatriate knowledge transfer," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(7), pages 1331-1349, September.
    8. Bader, Benjamin & Berg, Nicola & Holtbrügge, Dirk, 2015. "Expatriate performance in terrorism-endangered countries: The role of family and organizational support," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 849-860.
    9. Kim, Kwanghyun & Slocum Jr., John W., 2008. "Individual differences and expatriate assignment effectiveness: The case of U.S.-based Korean expatriates," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 109-126, January.
    10. Harvey, Michael & Reiche, B. Sebastian & Moeller, Miriam, 2011. "Developing effective global relationships through staffing with inpatriate managers: The role of interpersonal trust," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 150-161, June.
    11. Guttormsen, David S.A., 2018. "Does the ‘non-traditional expatriate’ exist? A critical exploration of new expatriation categories," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 233-244.
    12. Ren, Hong & Bolino, Mark C. & Shaffer, Margaret A. & Kraimer, Maria L., 2013. "The influence of job demands and resources on repatriate career satisfaction: A relative deprivation perspective," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 149-159.
    13. Meuer, Johannes & Tröster, Christian & Angstmann, Michèle & Backes-Gellner, Uschi & Pull, Kerstin, 2019. "Embeddedness and the repatriation intention of assigned and self-initiated expatriates," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 784-793.
    14. Bader, Benjamin & Berg, Nicola, 2013. "An Empirical Investigation of Terrorism-induced Stress on Expatriate Attitudes and Performance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 163-175.
    15. Akhimien Goodheart Okharedia & Umemezia Evelyn, 2021. "Demographic Profiles for Cross-Cultural Adjustment of Expatriates in Nigeria," Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 9(1), pages 25-49, September.
    16. Singh, Sanjay Kumar & Tarba, Shlomo Y. & Wood, Geoffrey & Bozionelos, Nikos & Del Giudice, Manlio & Pereira, Vijay & Latan, Hengky, 2022. "Adjustment and work outcomes of self-initiated expatriates in the United Arab Emirates: Development and testing of a model," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(3).
    17. Yong Suhk Pak & Qinglu Sun & Yi Yang, 2019. "Influences of expatriate managerial styles on host-country nationals’ turnover intention," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 18(4), pages 263-280, September.
    18. Maertz Jr., Carl P. & Hassan, Ahmad & Magnusson, Peter, 2009. "When learning is not enough: A process model of expatriate adjustment as cultural cognitive dissonance reduction," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 108(1), pages 66-78, January.
    19. Ravasi, Claudio & Salamin, Xavier & Davoine, Eric, 2013. "The challenge of dual career expatriate management in a specific host national environment: An exploratory study of expatriate and spouse adjustment in Switzerland based MNCs," FSES Working Papers 447, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Freiburg/Fribourg Switzerland.
    20. Welch, Denice & Welch, Catherine, 2015. "How global careers unfold in practice: Evidence from international project work," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 1072-1081.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:intman:v:28:y:2022:i:2:s1075425321000600. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/601266/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.