I'm difficult, but not impossible: how millennials view international assignments and the implications for human resource management (HRM)

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify what (de)motivates millennial students from undertaking mobility upon graduation and whether this depends on gender, region of origin, prior work experience, level of studies, or international mindset and how. The paper provides insights on the preferred length of mobility and the most (un)attractive regions.Design/methodology/approachThe sample consists of 1,001 millennial students from 77 countries. Data from a quantitative self-reported survey were analysed employing exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory data analyses.FindingsFactors that motivate mobility are personal development, learning about foreign cultures and the opportunity to travel and those that demotivate are a preference for short-term assignments, unwillingness of family to move and disruption of home country life. Factors differ by region, gender, level of current studies and the student's international mindset.Research limitations/implicationsThe cohort included only students pursuing a business or technical education. A willingness to accept an international assignment may not necessarily translate into accepting an international assignment due to the effect of the attitude–behaviour gap. The authors do not aim to generalise on the basis of the results since the sample was fairly disproportionate in terms of world regions. We do, however, invite further studies to treat ours as potential input for new and emerging studies of either a quantitative or qualitative nature.Practical implicationsDue to a strong attachment to home, short-term assignments are preferred. Salary and financial benefits remain hygienic factors and motivating factors remain on the “soft” side. Motivating millennials to engage in mobility requires an individualised approach, dependent on region of origin, gender, the level of education, work experience and international mindset.Originality/valueThis study indicates that the factors that (de)motivate millennial students to engage in international assignments differ on the basis of various socio-demographic variables.

The Importance of Internal and External Factors for the Selection Decision of Expatriates

Today’s global business environment sets the platform for international employee assignments. As organisation globalise their operations, the roles and responsibilities of the Human Resource department are transformed and face the pressure of globalisation. Therefore, the selection of expatriates to fill international assignment is challenging because of the complex nature of internal and external factors of the selection decision of expatriates like Cost, Expatriate Performance, Expatriate Failure, Political factor, Legal factor, Economic factor, Socio-culture, Family requirements, and Multinational enterprise requirements (MNE), etc. The result of the studies shows the complex nature of the expatriate selection decision during the international assignment which will have a huge impact on the selection decision of expatriates and the success of the organisation on the global level market in the world of competition.

Combining lifelines to thrive: a stage-based need fulfilment network of international assignees

PurposeThe paper tries to understand the needs of the international assignees across the different stages of expatriation and how different developers in the professional and non-professional sphere render support and advice through these stages.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the authors have interviewed 20 expatriates of various nationalities and tried to understand the various needs of the expatriates across the three initial stages of an assignment.FindingsThe paper finds that four important mentors in an expatriation assignment play multiple need-based mentoring functions at various assignment stages: host country nationals (HCNs), parent country nationals, fellow expatriates and family.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper contributes to the literature on the need-based support rendered to expatriates during an international assignment. The paper, however, does not incorporate the perceptions of other vital stakeholders in the network and their intentions to contribute to the developmental network.Practical implicationsThis paper lays down important practical implications for expatriates and the human resource management (HRM) professionals. This paper urges the practitioners to take a nuanced approach for developing expatriates than a generalized mentoring programme.Originality/valueThis study highlights the changing needs of the international assignees across the stages of an international assignment and demonstrates the important intra-organizational and extra-organizational developers such as family members in the fulfilment of these needs.

Knowledge Transfer Across Types of Assignments: Case study of an International Oil Company

The principal objective of this paper is to explore how using different sorts of international assignments (short-term expatriation, long-term expatriation, short-term inpatriation) enable the headquarters (HQ) and ancillary branches to transfer an assortment of knowledge types (procedural, declarative, axiomatic, and relational knowledge) from the HQ to their ancillaries, through the period of assignment. The current study used a qualitative approach based on the data collection strategy of semi-structured interviews with 20 partakers with standings of international assignment (IA). The content analysis methodology was managed to analyze and codify the interviews. The findings reveal that every single kind of assignment acts as a special knowledge transfer situation. The principal benefaction of our study is that it delivered a more precise understanding of international assignments as knowledge transfer situations than any research in precedence. While the contributions of this study have been salient, certain limitations pave the way for extensive research possibilities. To begin with, this paper lays emphasis on a large organisation in the Oil and Gas sector in three countries, UK (the HQ), Oman and UAE, which limits generalization of the findings. The paper reviews the implications of selecting IA to transfer the various types of knowledge. We achieve this by distinguishing the knowledge convey role of international assignments across different types of assignments, types of knowledge, and the direction and timing of knowledge transfer through or following the international assignment. First this paper is necessary to analyze the success of knowledge transfer and IA and ascertain their application. To the best of our knowledge, this research one of the rare studies that include the engineer’s perspective in the global Oil and Gas sector. This umbrella approach aids in better understanding IA and knowledge transfer.