Having just returned from our annual family skiing trip I have been reminded of how important it is to conserve and restore your energy resources. A few consecutive, full days of skiing can easily sap your physical energy. But we all know that our mental energy is a finite resource as well. And sometimes it […]
‘Us versus Them’ in Multinationals: The Case of a Lingua Franca
A couple of my previous blog posts related to the topic of adopting a dominant language, mostly English, in multinational corporations. Even though using a lingua franca is generally considered to improve communication, simplify information flows and increase collaboration across culturally different units of the company, some possible roadblocks need to be mentioned too. Specifically, […]
Inpatriates: On the Term and Academic Findings
Although both practitioners and academics in the field of global mobility are well used to the term expatriate, the term inpatriate is still in need of further presentation. Indeed, the latter is far less used in publications, and even Microsoft Word is still underlining it as an unknown or incorrectly spelled word :). As such, […]
Expat Lifestyle, Travel Bug and Addiction
‘Once an expat, always an expat’, ‘catching the travel bug’ and ‘itchy feet syndrome’ – these are some of the fairly common phrases you come across when looking through expat blogs, forums and global mobility related articles. Indeed, sometimes expatriation moves from merely a one-time international work experience to a nomadic lifestyle, and there are […]
Global Mobility in 2014: Looking Ahead to the New Year
The beginning of the year is usually when we start making New Year’s resolutions, look back on the events, achievements and experiences of the past year, and take a hopeful look forward to the year ahead. Somewhat following this trend I decided to start this year with a post about predictions for 2014 in the […]
Host Country Nationals: You’d Better Get Them on Board
Expatriation is all about expatriates, right? Probably you already sensed the undertone of this question. Naturally, the success of an international assignment is not only about the actual assignee, as there are many other parties involved, starting from the spouse and finishing with the relocation support professionals. However, it is also true that inspite of […]
‘Where Are You from?’ – Soon to Be an Outdated Question?
Go to New York, London, Paris, or Stockholm and you will see the incredible blend of cultures, or the cultural mashup, that increasingly exists in these major cities in the world – and is growing elsewhere too. A typical person one would meet in such a melting pot could be a half Korean half German […]
Global Dexterity: Translating Cross-Cultural Knowledge into Action
I am sure we all remember our school and university years, when we were filled with lots of theoretical and practical knowledge to be used in our future lives and careers. I am also sure we all remember the first days and weeks in our professional careers, when we realized that all that knowledge is […]
Corporate Volunteering: What Does the Latest Research Say?
Following-up on my last week’s post about corporate volunteering, I would like to review the latest academic research on the topic. Specifically, Paula Caligiuri together with colleagues (2013) has examined the conditions of employees’ corporate volunteer assignments, majority of which took place abroad, and their effects in relation to the different parties involved. Stemming from […]
Corporate Volunteering Initiatives: What are the Benefits for Global Companies?
The globalization of business goes hand in hand with global mobility. Indeed, global mobility of employees is necessary to expand a company abroad, to establish partnerships with foreign companies, and generally, to sustain the international status of a company. As such, there are many different goals international assignments might aim to fulfill, which is why […]
Psychological Difficulties of Expatriation: When Inaction is the Best Action
Several of my recent posts emphasized the ‘dark’ sides of expatriation, namely the psychological difficulties of repatriation, loneliness when moving without family, and insecurities when adjusting to life abroad. Whether these are self-doubts, extensive tensions, critical thoughts or negative feelings that arise in challenging situations, we can all agree that such undesirable states are quite […]
Split Family Assignments: From Mere Inconvenience to Feelings of Loss
In one of my recent posts I discussed the issue of dual-career couples. As noted, dual-career challenges remain one of the key expatriation challenges, influencing both the decision to accept an assignment and the assignment experience itself. Due to several possible reasons, families may decide to split for the period of the assignment, so that […]
Homeland: When Returning Back Home Turns into a Drama
All of us enjoy watching TV series! And so, the one I am currently enjoying is the recent American drama series ‘Homeland’, which is considered to be a great success, winning both Golden Globe and Emmy awards. The reason I am bringing it up here is that apart from being exciting and entertaining in itself, […]
Dual-Career Challenges: What Can Companies Do?
A few weeks ago, when reviewing the latest stats from industry surveys on expatriates, I noted that there is a slowly emerging shift towards younger and less attached expatriates. Yet, the average profile of an expatriate still remains quite traditional, including a dominance of male employees, who are married or have a partner. Given this […]
Global Leadership: Inner Talent or Learned Skill?
When I recently looked into publications on global leadership and talent management, my attention was caught by two different articles, which surely would make for a heated discussion if put together. On one hand is a recent blog entry by David Livermore, who emphasizes that global leadership is not based on natural qualities or dispositions, […]
Expat Motivation: The Role of Goal Orientation
In last week’s entry I reviewed the sources of expat motivation, as derived from the standpoint of self-determination theory. Specifically, I brought up the argument that the more self-determined one’s behavior, the more intrinsically motivated this behavior. On the other hand, as mentioned in my previous post, goals or tasks can also be viewed as […]
The Psychology of Expat Motivation: From Theory to Practice
If we think about the reasons why people engage in different activities, devote their time and effort to these activities, and persist in doing what they do despite various difficulties and challenges, one central concept that comes to mind is motivation. Indeed, motivation can be seen as a ‘push-button’ that elicits, controls and directs behavior. […]
