Expatriate assignments: the “same” job may require different tasks

Abstract

Purpose

Given a specific job, this paper aims to examine if the tasks change when moving from one country to another, and if so, whether such changes are at least partly a function of environmental factors.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-method approach (surveys and interviews) with professional-level expatriates based in the UAE.

Findings

The results indicated that the “same” job often required different tasks depending on the country. Given a matching job between home and host countries, 66 per cent of respondents indicated that the job was different and on average, 20 per cent of the job was perceived to be different. Environmental forces did account for meaningful task differences. Legal and regulatory forces were a particularly important driver of task differences.

Practical implications

It is important to consider potential task differences in connection with expatriate assignments. Attending to task differences can have a positive impact on staffing, development and management processes.

Originality/value

Given the “same” job, the specific tasks may be different depending on the country.

Citation

Martin, S. and James, R. (2020), "Expatriate assignments: the “same” job may require different tasks", Journal of Asia Business Studies, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 227-239. https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-03-2018-0092