Self-Initiated Expatriates (SIEs) and Job Satisfaction: Impact of the Leader-Member Exchange Relationship
Author
Vogelezang, Willem
Term
10. term
Publication year
2013
Submitted on
2013-05-30
Pages
63
Abstract
Globale virksomheder ansætter i stigende grad medarbejdere fra forskellige lande. Meget forskning har set på, hvordan internationale medarbejdere tilpasser sig nye kulturer. En mindre litteratur retter blikket mod organisationens og dens sociale aktørers ansvar for at støtte en mangfoldig arbejdsstyrke. Sociale interaktioner kan være udfordrende, når udstationerede (medarbejdere, der arbejder uden for deres hjemland) har andre kulturelle forventninger på arbejdspladsen. Dette speciale fokuserer på lederes rolle i denne proces. Det undersøger, hvordan udstationerede oplever forholdet til deres nærmeste leder, og hvordan bestemte aspekter af relationen hænger sammen med jobtilfredshed og en positiv stemning i arbejdet. Studiet bruger Leader–Member Exchange (LMX)-teorien (Graen et al., 1982), som ser på kvaliteten og kendetegnene ved relationen mellem leder og medarbejder. Det undersøger også, om opfattelserne er forskellige for udstationerede med en lokal leder sammenlignet med en udenlandsk leder. Forskningsdesignet indledes med en gennemgang af teorier om udstationering, jobtilfredshed og social interaktion for at rammesætte fænomenet. Empirisk anvendes et tværsnitsdesign og en kvalitativ, fortolkende tilgang. Primære data er indsamlet gennem dybdegående interviews med ti medarbejdere i store organisationer i Nord- og Vesteuropa. Specialet giver indsigt i, hvordan udstationerede forstår relationen til deres leder, og hvordan de mener, at relationen påvirker deres jobtilfredshed, og dermed bidrager det til forskningen med et udstationeringsperspektiv.
Global companies increasingly employ staff from different countries. Much research has examined how international employees adapt to new cultures. A smaller body of work looks at how organizations and the people within them can support this diverse workforce. Social interaction can be challenging when expatriates (employees working outside their home country) bring different cultural expectations to the workplace. This thesis focuses on the role of managers in that process. It asks how expatriates perceive their relationship with their manager and how specific aspects of that relationship relate to job satisfaction and a positive mood at work. The study uses Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) theory (Graen et al., 1982), which examines the quality and characteristics of the relationship between a leader and a subordinate. It also investigates whether perceptions differ for expatriates who report to a local manager versus a foreign manager. The research begins with a review of theories on expatriation, job satisfaction, and social interaction to frame the phenomenon. Empirically, it uses a cross-sectional design and a qualitative, interpretive approach. Primary data were collected through in-depth interviews with ten employees working in large organizations in Northern and Western Europe. The thesis offers insight into how expatriates understand their relationships with managers and how they see these relationships influencing their job satisfaction, contributing to research on this topic from the expatriate perspective.
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