Matchmaking and the multinational enterprise: how individual motivation and international strategy interact to affect expatriate adjustment

Abstract

In this theoretical work, we propose a fresh look at expatriate adjustment, in which the focus is on the link between motivational antecedents and expatriate adjustment, moderated by international strategy orientation. Key concepts from human resource management and international strategic management are linked in a model that crosses levels of analysis and develops a typology of expatriate adjustment. The primary contribution of this paper is extending our understanding of human resource management in the complex environments of emerging and transitional economies, by showing when and how expatriates are likely to adjust more effectively.