Psychological contract breach and organizational cynicism and commitment among self-initiated expatriates vs. host country nationals in the Chinese and Malaysian transnational education sector

The relationship between ethical climate and organizational cynicism: mediating role of match and identification with the organization

Depending on its type, the ethical climate of an organization has either beneficial or detrimental effects in the workplace. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the role of employees' attachment to the organization and the coherency of values between employees and organizations in the relationship between different types of ethical climates and negative attitudes toward the organization. This cross-sectional study tested the mechanisms of the direct and indirect effects of ethical climate on organizational cynicism through person-organization fit, organizational pride, and affective commitment, attempting to determine the protective function of different ethical climates on organizational cynicism, which is an undesirable workplace phenomenon. The study focused on 1071 Polish employees from different business areas with contracts of employment. The results showed that an instrumental ethical climate had positive direct and indirect effects on organizational cynicism through all three mediators, person-organization fit, organizational pride, and affective commitment. Moreover, beneficial indirect effects of caring and independent climates on organizational cynicism through person-organization fit, organizational pride, and affective commitment were also confirmed. Law and code and rules climates were positively and indirectly related to organizational cynicism via organizational pride but not organizational affective commitment. Discussed the impact of different ethical climates on organizational cynicism and the beneficial role of person-organization fit, organizational pride, and affective commitment underlying this relationship, emphasizing the preventing function of organizational attachment, organizational pride, and values consistency between employee and organization in referring cynical attitudes in the workplace.

Psychological contract breach and emotional exhaustion among self-initiated expatriates: The role of social support and cultural orientation

Self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) face a unique set of challenges associated with working abroad without organizational sponsorship or support. A lack of clarity about mutual obligations and responsibilities can often lead to misunderstandings about the terms of the employment relationship and to perceptions of psychological contract breach. Drawing on a sample of self-initiated expatriates working in the United Arab Emirates, this study examines the relationship between psychological contract breach and emotional exhaustion exploring how culturally based value orientations and social support affect the relationship. Results indicate that individual-level cultural orientation can shape the responses of SIEs to perceived breaches and to its detrimental emotional effects. Individuals with a collectivist as opposed to an individualist orientation utilize more effectively social support from co-workers and supervisors and are less likely to be negatively affected by psychological contract breaches.

Job exhaustion among assigned and self-initiated expatriates – the role of effort and reward

Purpose

This study explores whether expatriation type (assigned expatriates (AEs) versus self-initiated expatriates (SIEs)) is linked to job exhaustion via possible differences in required efforts for their jobs and the rewards they gain from them, and/or the balance between efforts and rewards. Adopting effort–reward imbalance (ERI) and job demands/resources (JD-R) theories, the authors study the possible role of ERI as a mediator between expatriation type and job exhaustion.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was carried out in co-operation with two Finnish trade unions, providing representative data from 484 assigned and SIEs. The authors test this study’s hypotheses through latent structural equation modelling, and the analysis was conducted with Stata 17.0 software.

Findings

The results show that ERI between them are correlated with the job exhaustion of expatriates in general and there are no direct links between expatriation type and job exhaustion. The required effort from AEs was higher than that from SIEs though no difference was found for rewards, and the match between effort demands and rewards is less favourable for AEs than SIEs. AEs experienced higher job exhaustion than SIEs because of the higher effort demands and greater imbalance between efforts and rewards.

Originality/value

The study examines the work well-being of two types of expatriates and explores the underlying mechanisms that may explain why they may differ from each other.

Sacrifices from relocation to a foreign land: Multifaceted challenges experienced by self-initiated expatriate female nurses during cross-cultural adjustment

The purpose of this exploratory study is to understand the nature and multidimensional challenges of cross-cultural adjustment as experienced by female Malaysian self-initiated expatriates (SIE) working as registered nurses (RNs) in Saudi Arabia. In-depth interviews with twenty-two Malaysian SIE RNs provided rich data on their adjustment experiences. The resulting data were subjected to a qualitative content analysis using Black, Mendenhall, and Oddou's (Black et al., 1991) cross-cultural adjustment (CCA) model. The results show that the nurses faced several challenges. Five themes emerged: learning to speak Arabic, adapting to a confrontational communication style, facing new work practices, dealing with homesickness and loneliness, and adjusting to new gender norms at work and in public. This study contributes to our understanding of expatriate adjustment by providing new interpretations of the cultural challenges faced by female SIEs and the nature of their adjustment process. The results also support the literature on expatriation by highlighting the challenges of cultural adjustment and giving specific information on the conditions and constraints facing female RNs in Saudi Arabia, a subject that has received little critical attention so far.

The Impact of Network Embeddedness on the Innovation Performance of New Generation of Employees in the Post-COVID-19 Era-The Mediating Role of Psychological Contract

The innovation activities of new generation of employees have the characteristics of double network embeddedness, and the degree of psychological contract fulfilment is an important factor that affects their innovation performance. Based on the attributes of internal network embeddedness and external network embeddedness, this paper builds a hypothesis model of the relationship between network embeddedness, psychological contract and innovation performance. It explores the impact and mechanism of network embeddedness on the innovation performance of new generation of employees and the mediating role of the psychological contract. Empirical research shows that network embeddedness has a positive effect on the innovation performance of new generation of employees. The psychological contract has a mediating role in network embeddedness on innovation performance of new generation of employees. These conclusions continue and deepen the research on network embeddedness and innovation performance and further enrich and expand the application of social networks in the research of individual innovation performance of new generation of employees.

Work engagement, affective commitment, and career satisfaction: the mediating role of knowledge sharing in context of SIEs

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine linkages between work engagement, affective commitment, and career satisfaction, while probing the mediating role of knowledge sharing in context of self-initiated- expatriates (SIEs).

Design/methodology/approach

A mediation model was tested using survey data from 266 SIEs working in US information technology (IT) multinational corporations (MNCs).

Findings

The results revealed significant direct and indirect effects of work engagement on affective commitment and career satisfaction through knowledge sharing.

Research limitations/implications

Although common method bias and validity of measurement were assessed in this study, the survey data were cross-sectional. Rigorous testing of the proposed mediated model through longitudinal design must be undertaken to allow for stronger inferences about causation.

Practical implications

The results suggest that organizations must nurture a knowledge sharing culture to promote knowledge exchange amongst SIEs. This study also underscores the importance of SIEs' work engagement as an enabler of knowledge sharing. Managers have a critical role in creating the right work environment, where SIEs feel engaged in their work and motivated to share knowledge.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine interlinkages between work engagement, knowledge sharing, affective commitment and career satisfaction in SIEs' context.