Arup Varma, Akanksha Jaiswal, Vijay Pereira, Parth Patel, Daicy Vaz, Y. L. N. Kumar
{"title":"Mind your language: an empirical investigation into the role of language in Indian expatriate professionals’ adjustment abroad","authors":"Arup Varma, Akanksha Jaiswal, Vijay Pereira, Parth Patel, Daicy Vaz, Y. L. N. Kumar","doi":"10.1080/09585192.2023.2275128","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"AbstractExpatriates are an integral part of international human resources, enabling multinational corporations (MNCs) to implement and execute strategy. Yet, the issues related to the expatriates’ adjustment to their new environments can negatively affect the ability of MNCs to do business. As the major currency of communication, language is among the most complex issues related to adjustment in a new host country. In this study, we contribute by utilizing social learning and linguistic relativity as two key theoretical lenses to identify and examine the dimensions of expatriate adjustment. To do so, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 Indian expatriates in several countries around the world (English and non-English speaking). Our findings revealed five dimensions including (i) nuances of language (ii) role of language (iii) mechanisms to overcome language issues (iv) support and (v) expatriates’ adjustment. We analysed the data using the Gioia methodology. We discuss our findings’ theoretical and practical implications and offer suggestions for future research.Keywords: ExpatriateIndialanguageadjustmenthost country Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementThe data associated with this study are available from the first author, upon request.Notes1 We would like to thank an anonymous reviewer for this suggestion.2 Hindi is the official language of India and spoken by a large population of Indians.3 Organization name is disguised to maintain anonymity.4 We thank an anonymous reviewer for this suggestion.","PeriodicalId":14185,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Human Resource Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.9000,"publicationDate":"2023-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Human Resource Management","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2023.2275128","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MANAGEMENT","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
AbstractExpatriates are an integral part of international human resources, enabling multinational corporations (MNCs) to implement and execute strategy. Yet, the issues related to the expatriates’ adjustment to their new environments can negatively affect the ability of MNCs to do business. As the major currency of communication, language is among the most complex issues related to adjustment in a new host country. In this study, we contribute by utilizing social learning and linguistic relativity as two key theoretical lenses to identify and examine the dimensions of expatriate adjustment. To do so, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 Indian expatriates in several countries around the world (English and non-English speaking). Our findings revealed five dimensions including (i) nuances of language (ii) role of language (iii) mechanisms to overcome language issues (iv) support and (v) expatriates’ adjustment. We analysed the data using the Gioia methodology. We discuss our findings’ theoretical and practical implications and offer suggestions for future research.Keywords: ExpatriateIndialanguageadjustmenthost country Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementThe data associated with this study are available from the first author, upon request.Notes1 We would like to thank an anonymous reviewer for this suggestion.2 Hindi is the official language of India and spoken by a large population of Indians.3 Organization name is disguised to maintain anonymity.4 We thank an anonymous reviewer for this suggestion.
期刊介绍:
International Journal of Human Resource Management is the forum for HRM scholars and professionals worldwide. Concerned with the expanding role of strategic human resource management in a fast-changing global environment, the journal focuses on future trends in human resource management, drawing on empirical research in the areas of strategic management, international business, organizational behaviour, personnel management and industrial relations that arise from: -internationalization- technological change- market integration- new concepts of line management- increased competition- changing corporate climates Now publishing twenty-two issues per year, The International Journal of Human Resource Management encourages strategically focused articles on a wide range of issues including employee participation, human resource flow, reward systems and high commitment work systems. It is an essential publication in an exciting field, examining all management decisions that affect the relationship between an organization and its employees. Features include; -comparative contributions from both developed and developing countries- special issues based on conferences and current issues- international bibliographies- international data sets- reviews