Employer perceptions of self-initiated expatriate employability in China: A person-environment fit perspective

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer an employer perceptive on the employability of self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) by contrasting SIEs with other identified staffing groups available for the staffing of MNC subsidiaries in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study is based on in-depth interviews with 24 Westerners with direct staffing responsibilities in subsidiaries of western MNCs located in China. The employability of each identified staffing group was assessed using the person-to-environment fit approach from four-fit perspectives (person-to-job and to-group, organisation and cultural context).

Findings

The study revealed how from the employer perspective SIEs do not form a heterogeneous group, but instead there are two groups with different fit profiles. The study illustrates how western SIEs are an uncommon and under-used staffing group in cross-cultural staffing settings in China due to their low employability in comparison to alternative staffing groups. The study also revealed the prevalent bipolarity (the Westerners vs the Chinese) and heterogeneity within the identified staffing groups.

Research limitations/implications

The study recognises the lack of employer perspective in SIE literature and also that SIEs are an under-represented group in the staffing literature.

Practical implications

The findings help explain how MNC staffing is culturally bound and how the staffing process should incorporate more than just an assessment of job-related qualifications. The findings also help explain the challenges SIEs can experience in cross-cultural career settings.

Originality/value

The study is one of the first to provide an employer perspective on SIE careers and contrast SIEs to the other alternative staffing groups available to MNC subsidiaries in China.

Citation

Makkonen, P. (2015), "Employer perceptions of self-initiated expatriate employability in China: A person-environment fit perspective", Journal of Global Mobility, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 303-330. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGM-12-2014-0054