Self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) are classified as highly qualified specialists who can independently find employment overseas. However, little is known on how this cohort became resilient to cope with high uncertainty and adjust to novel international contexts. This chapter presents the most dominant resilience factors impacting the development of SIE resilience based on the current literature and develop specific hypotheses based on these factors. In addition, the chapter builds on the self-determination theory to present a research model that could help to predict SIEs in choosing their career paths abroad.
TopIntroduction
Our increasingly globalized world demands increased levels of global mobility and flexibility in the workplace and workforce. As a result, and propelling this globalization further, ever-increasing numbers of skilled individuals are seeking out international career opportunities. As contemporary work environments have become more stressful and turbulent than traditional environments, it has become more important than ever that individuals should develop the psychological capital to remain adaptable and resilient in coping with career uncertainty (Bimrose & Hearne, 2012).
According to the Labour Market Outlook report published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), approximately 45% of global employers report experiencing problems in filling positions due to talent shortages in the first quarter of 2022 (CIPD, 2022), with many organizations increasingly using expatriates to meet their talent requirements.
Among these mobile employees is the distinct category of the self-initiated expatriate (SIE) (Przytuła, 2015). An SIE is different to a migrant or an assigned expatriate (AE), although there are commonly similarities between the three categorizations. Since they represent different types of internationally mobile employees, research results therefore cannot be transferred between these distinct groups (Wolff, 2013).
SIEs demonstrate individual motivation and initiative to move abroad for work, without their relocation being contingent on the direct support of a company or organization (Carr, Inkson, Thorn 2005). SIE are professionals who choose to expatriate and who are not transferred by their employer (Muir et al., 2014), they relocate to a country of their choice to seek a job or to try an entrepreneurial venture (Jokinen et al., 2008). On the other hand, a migrant is a person who relocates from one geographical location to another, changing their place of residence as the centre of their personal life (Litwak, 1987). An expatriate relocates from one geographical location to another, changing their place of residence for both personal and professional reasons. If the foreign relocation is undertaken by a company or organization which employs the expatriate, this person is defined as an AE (Przytuła, 2015).
SIEs are typically classified as highly qualified specialists who can find employment for themselves in a foreign labour market (Haslberger & Vaiman, 2009). Researchers have emphasized that international corporations tend to make use of SIEs and treat them as an antidote to the shortage of qualified managerial staff in host markets (Banai & Harry, 2004; Suutari & Brewster 2000). Furthermore, SIEs are strategically valuable human resources for multinational corporations (Howe-Walsch & Sschyns, 2010) and growing numbers of them are employed by organizations (Jokinen et al., 2008). However, there is not one solidified definition of an SIE that is universally accepted (Andresen et al. 2020). In addition, little is known about the antecedents/factors that could make SIEs more resilient abroad. Therefore, this chapter advances the literature on (1) self-initiated expatriates' resilience and (2) offers insights on the factors that could predict SIEs resilience determinants from environmental and personal perspectives and (3) proposes seven propositions, and (4) a research model. In addition, this chapter offers (5) implications for research and practice and concludes (6) by the limitations and future research directions.