Here is a puzzle: if an Ostrich, a Bird, a Frog and a Lizard are moved to a foreign environment, which one of them has the best chance of successful adaption and adjustment? Taken literally, the puzzle sounds like a case for environmental biologists… yet, let’s look at it metaphorically and explore the theme of […]
The Real ‘Up in the Air’ Story?
Today there are many different ways to tap into the global interconnectedness of businesses, many of which do not even imply any physical relocation. For example, locally based businesses can use global digital networks to reach out to potential international clients with ‘just a click’, or utilize highly multinational teams, where people from different locations […]
Expatriation and Retirement
This is a Guest Blog entry. Author: Yvonne Quahe, Reimagine Life. Yvonne is a HR consultant and coach who helps individuals, couples and organizations with globally mobile populations to increase their engagement with life, manage their careers and attract and retain talent. Has it ever occurred to you that retirement is as inevitable as death and […]
Are We Bound to Feel Lonely in the Globalized World?
As social animals we have survived because we used to form bonds and be members of tribes. Several interesting studies show that we are wired to be social on such a deep level that social isolation is actually processed similarly to physical pain by our mind. Plenty of research shows that loneliness is bad for […]
Moving Abroad? But Where to?
Have you ever considered moving abroad? If not, prepare yourself for a lot of deliberations (in case you will someday). If you already have, you probably ‘know the pain’… Indeed, relocating abroad, either permanently or temporarily, is a big decision in one’s life and there is a ton of details one needs to consider and […]
The SCARF in Global Mobility
In my last blog post I wrote about social neuroscience and the SCARF theory, which explains social behavior based on our brain principle known as ‘threat and reward response’. The theory posits that within social interactions our experience is influenced either by perceived threat or reward in one or several of five domains: status, certainty, […]
Living in a Terrorized World
Two years ago I wrote about expatriation and terrorism, arguing that global mobility professionals pay increasingly more attention to terror-related issues. Unfortunately in light of the recent ‘wave of terrorism’, be it the Nice attack in France, the Ansbach bombing in Germany, or the Orlando nightclub shooting (quite honestly, you name it), the case of […]
Latest Research: The Role of Global Leadership
The most recent DHL Global Connectedness Index, analyzing the state of globalization around the world, suggests that we don’t quite live in a ‘flat’ world. Indeed, in spite of visible global interconnectedness, the actual numbers related to international flows of products and services, capital, information, and people, show that globalization is much more limited than […]
Towards More Gender-Inclusive Mobility!
Diversity is a cornerstone in today’s globalized world. In the current global political arena, diversity seems to be a source of social unrest and heated debate. Yet, in the global business world there is a solid consensus on the benefits of and need for diversity. Both practitioners and researchers seem to agree that cultural, racial, […]
Expat-preneurs: A New Type of Global Employees
Within the global workforce exist a whole range of international work experiences. When referring to expatriation, we are speaking about traditional company-initiated expats, who are sent abroad for either shorter or longer periods of time. That is a very simplistic distinction though, as the landscape of company-initiated assignments is constantly changing, producing an increasing variety […]
What we know and don’t know about intercultural competence
Intercultural competence is one of the salient topics in the field of global mobility, with ongoing interest in both academic and applied settings. For example, implications of intercultural competence can’t be overseen when speaking about global workforce mobility, multicultural team management, cross-cultural collaborations in both business and education domains, immigration, and the current refugee crisis. […]
Latest Insights from Expat Industry Survey
Recently, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), sponsored by UnitedHealthcare Global, surveyed 360 executives from North America and Europe and conducted five in-depth interviews with experts to examine companies’ experiences with global mobility. In the following I will highlight some key report data that caught my eye. • Assignment geography is not about the traditional home […]
‘Up in the Air’: Exploring the Philosophy
Once in a while it is good to revisit older movies – as is the case with Jason Reitman’s 2009 film ‘Up in the Air’. Naturally, as the film title already suggests, it has spurred both my personal and professional interests. The story has several facets to it, as the movie touches on the difficulties […]
Expat Work and Life Domains: Conflicting, Balancing, or Enriching?
Work is one of the central tenets in human life. We ask our kids what do they want to do when they grow up; we start conversations by inquiring about each other’s jobs; we study extensively in order to secure future employment; we belong, as adults, to a well-defined working age population; we differentiate between […]
International Experience: Value with Limited Practicality?
If I would be asked for advice on writing an attractive resume of a young professional, I would suggest highlighting teamwork and international experience. Indeed, I believe that these are two current buzzwords in the global talent market given that potential employees are required to be able to cooperate with others, and increasingly do so […]
The Expat Dilemma: Building New or Keeping Old Relationships
In one of my recent posts, I discussed the cases of expats visiting home, missing the familiarity of it and trying to balance between the ‘new’ (even if temporary) and ‘old’ homes. Continuing on this topic of this double expat life, today I would like to focus on expats’ relationships, and more specifically, their friendships. […]
