The double-edged sword of ethnic similarity for expatriates

Fan, Shea X. and Harzing, Anne-Wil ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1509-3003 (2021) The double-edged sword of ethnic similarity for expatriates. Organizational Dynamics, 50 (4) , 100801. ISSN 0090-2616 [Article] (doi:10.1016/j.orgdyn.2020.100801)

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Abstract

Identifying employees to represent headquarters (HQ) effectively in overseas units is a management challenge faced by all multinational corporations (MNCs). To date, management of this type of expatriate employees has accorded a central role to culture, such as understanding cultural differences, facilitating cultural adaptation and adjustment, and cultivating cultural intelligence. Although culture is a critical factor in ex-plaining expatriates’ experiences, identity offers an alternative angle to reveal the challenges that occur when expatriates interact with host country employees. In this article, we introduce ethnically similar expatriates – a sub-category of expatriates who share an ethnicity with host country employees – to showcase the role of identity, especially the interpersonal dynamics associated with ethnic similarity.

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