A longitudinal investigation of self-initiated expatriate organizational socialization

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the process of self-initiated expatriate (SIE) organizational socialization. Design/methodology/approach To assess the socialization process, data were collected at three points in time. SIE English teachers were surveyed at three points in time. At Time 3, data from the principals of those teachers who completed surveys at Time 2 were also collected. Findings Organizational socialization tactics facilitate social integration and learning speed, which, in turn, are positively related to SIE adjustment. Moreover, SIEs who climbed the learning curve more quickly were only able to capitalize on their learning ability to promote performance when their calculative commitment was low. Originality/value First, in contrast with the majority of expatriate socialization studies that tend to focus on the proactive behaviors of expatriates, the authors examine the organizational socialization tactics of a local host organization. Second, they consider the role of calculative commitment, which is especially germane to the SIE context, on SIE performance. Third, this study contributes to the organizational socialization literature by recognizing that socialization is an on-going process that continues to influence employees even after they are no longer “newcomers.” Fourth, the authors assess adjustment directly rather than through proxy measures.