Why we need to know more about diversity among the globally mobile: a systematic literature review of non-traditional expatriate research and future research agenda for minority expatriates

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to provide a systematic literature review of research on non-traditional expatriates (NTEs) and an agenda for future research.Design/methodology/approachThe systematic literature review of NTEs 2010–2020 followed Moher et al.'s flow chart approach to undertaking a systematic literature review and included research on various categories of NTEs.FindingsThe article explains how the author developed an interest in NTEs and provides a brief distillation of the author's research on NTEs and its key contributions. The article then presents the findings of the systematic literature review of NTEs and highlights the key aspects and contributions of this research. The article examines the strengths and weaknesses of the body of research, how it relates to global mobility research broadly and presents some issues for future literature reviews.Research limitations/implicationsThe article highlights the limited research undertaken on some types of NTEs and issues of construct definition. The article presents issues for future research on NTEs including examining a wider range of NTEs, the impact of changing locations for NTEs, identity and intersectionality of NTEs, and methodological issues within NTE research. Moreover, the call for future research suggests the need for greater construct clarity including proposing a new term to define this group, namely, minority expatriates.Originality/valueThe article is original in terms of building on earlier examinations of NTEs to provide a systematic literature review of NTEs 2010–2020 and an extensive agenda for further research in the field.

Theory for the HRM discipline: where have we been and where are we going?

“…The management of our working lives is, therefore, a topic that affects nearly all of us (and has spillover effects on others with whom we have non-work relationships) and thus has significant ramifications for society as a whole (Wilkinson, 2022: 1). The need to understand people management, including how to effectively manage an increasingly diverse and increasingly globally connected workforce (Hutchings, 2022), will become even more prevalent with some estimates suggesting that the current generation of workers may live until 100 and work until they are 70 (Gratton & Scott, 2016).…”

“…Though phenomenon-driven HRM research has explored emerging phenomena in practice that did not have a tradition in academic research (e.g., talent management), theory-driven approaches are increasingly used to explain HRM and employment practices or offer alternative theoretical perspectives (Farndale et al, 2020). Further, along with HRM research being much more theoretically grounded than in earlier decades, recent literature reviews found the majority of refereed journal articles related to HRM include one theory, but some research is underpinned by two, three, or more theories (Cooke et al, 2019;Ererdi et al, 2022;Hutchings, 2022).…”

What does expatriate success mean? Developing a comprehensive definition through a systematic literature review

“…This research is not without its limitations. The studies included do not investigate different kinds of expatriates, such as flex-patriates, short-term assignees, international commuters, business travellers and non-traditional and minority expatriates (M€ akel€ a et al, 2017;Hutchings, 2021). Instead, it focuses only on OEs and SIEs, which we distinguish between (Table A2).…”

What do we know about diversity, intersectionality and inclusion in organisationally-assigned expatriation? A review of relocation management company/consultancy practitioner research

“…Traditional expatriates are described as white, male, middle-aged managers from Western sending countries, typically accompanied by a female spouse and children; by default, other expatriates might thus be classified as non-traditional (Guttormsen, 2018) suggesting that these latter individuals comprise “minorities” or “diversity” within an expatriate population. Although research into non-traditional expatriates is reported as limited (McNulty and Hutchings, 2016), particularly in respect of non-traditional family expatriation (Hutchings, 2021), it is important to note that we do not have definitive definitions of what constitutes traditional or non-traditional expatriates (Hutchings, 2021), how the intersectionality of diversity attributes might be categorised (for example, where might a single white male parent fit into a traditional or non-traditional/diverse expatriate classification) or indeed any idea of how many people are undertaking expatriation and the assignment types they are on (short-term, long-term, frequent flyer and so on) – be these organisationally assigned or self-initiated. This means that it is not possible to calculate the exact share of expatriate roles held by minorities.…”