Getting the Right Fit: Expatriate Selection and Global Mobility
Getting the Right Fit: Expatriate Selection and Global Mobility
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Issue Date
2022
Authors
Peters, Francis
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Abstract
Leaders at multinational enterprises (MNEs) often lack defined specifications for selecting candidates for expatriate leadership roles and training. A gap in the literature exists in how leadership at small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) with limited human capital and financial resources can apply an efficient process for identifying expatriate candidates who are the right fit for an overseas assignment. The intent of this study was to explore what hiring professionals at SMEs consider in selecting and training candidates for expatriate leadership roles to secure continued engagement and fit. A qualitative phenomenological research design was used in this study to understand the participants' lived experiences and examine how the construct of vital engagement could be applied as the basis for evaluating a candidate's motivation and personal characteristics for an international assignment. The target population for this study included executives in HR, line management, and at the C-level who had SME experience and were involved in selecting employees for expatriate assignments and training. Participants were identified through criterion-based and snowball sampling techniques. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted, and the data were analyzed and coded to identify common themes, conceptual categories, and subcategories to make sense of those shared experiences. The findings of this study revealed approaches and recommendations for action that hiring managers at small and mid-size MNEs could take in selecting candidates for expatriate assignments and training. Asking interview questions that focus on the inevitable difficulties of living abroad may lead the expatriate candidate to reflect on the various factors impacting their motivation to work overseas. Since several participants discussed an industry trend to limit the benefits and compensation extended to expatriates, future related research may focus on how a reduction in the offered expatriate benefits might alter how hiring professionals recruit for overseas assignments.
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Keywords
global mobility , expatriate , leadership , expatriate leadership
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States , openAccess