Research insights: Global mobility in a post-covid world1

Collings, David G; Sheeran, Ruthanna

doi:10.2478/ijm-2020-0002

Abstract

How multinational enterprises staff their global operations has been a key question for researchers in international human resource management (IHRM) for a number of decades. It is widely recognised that getting staffing right on the global scale is key in enabling multinational enterprises (MNEs) to deliver on their strategic objectives. However the landscape of global staffing has been evolving considerably over recent decades with a much more complex landscape of global mobility emerging. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a significant challenge for the future of global mobility and amplifies a number of trends already challenging our understanding of global staffing arrangements. In this paper, we reflect on these challenges and the likely future for global mobility. We also identify some critical areas of focus for scholars in researching global mobility moving forward.

References

Allen, K. (2017). UK firms struggle to find employees – Even before Brexit bites. https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/may/09/uk-firms-struggle-to-find-employees-even-before-brexit-bites [Accessed 26 June 2020]
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Bader, B. (2015). ‘The power of support in high-risk countries: compensation and social support as antecedents of expatriate work attitudes’. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26: 3, 1712–1736.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Baruch, Y., Altman, Y. and Tung, R.L. (2016). ‘Career mobility in a global era: Advances in managing expatriation and repatriation’. The Academy of Management Annals, 10: 1, 841–889.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Boccagni, E. (2020). What to consider when repatriating during COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.thehrdirector.com/features/relocation/should-you-repatriate-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/ [Accessed 2 May 2020].
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Bozkurt, Ö. and Mohr, A. T. (2011). ‘Forms of cross-border mobility and social capital in multinational enterprises’. Human Resource Management Journal, 21: 2, 138–155.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Burkholder, J.D., Joines, R., Cunningham, M. and Xu, B. (2010). ‘Health and well-being factors associated with international business travel’. Journal of Travel Medicine, 17: 5, 329–333.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Caligiuri, P. and Bonache, J. (2016). ‘Evolving and enduring challenges in global mobility’. Journal of World Business, 51: 1, 127–141.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Caligiuri, P., De Cieri, H., Minbaeva, D., Verbeke, A. and Zimmermann, A. (2020). ‘International HRM insights for navigating the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for future research and practice’. Journal of International Business Studies, 51, 697–713. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-020-00335-9
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Caligiuri, P., Mencin, A., Jayne, B. and Traylor, A. (2019). ‘Developing cross-cultural competencies through international corporate volunteerism’. Journal of World Business, 54: 1, 14–23.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Caligiuri, P.M. and Cascio, W. (1998). ‘Can we send her there? Maximizing the success of Western women on global assignments’. Journal of World Business, 33: 4, 394–416.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Cascio, W.F. and Boudreau, J.W. (2016). ‘The search for global competence: From international HR to talent management’. Journal of World Business, 51: 1, 103–114.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Central Statistics Office. (2020). Covid-19 Information Hub: Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey. https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-covid19/covid-19informationhub/socialandwellbeing/socialimpactofcovid-19survey/ [Accessed 3 June 2020].
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Cleveland, H., Mangone, G. and Adams, J. (1960). The Overseas Americans, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Collings, D.G. (2014). ‘Integrating global mobility and global talent management: exploring the challenges and strategic opportunities’. Journal of World Business, 49: 2, 253–261.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Collings, D.G. and Isichei, M. (2018). ‘The shifting boundaries of global staffing: Integrating global talent management, alternative forms of international assignments and non-employees into the discussion’. The International Journal of Human Resource Management 29: 1, 165–187.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Collings, D.G. and McMackin, J. (2020), The practices that set learning organizations apart, MIT Sloan Management Review, Summer.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Collings, D.G., Nyberg, A.J., Wright, P.M. & McMackin, J. (2021). “Leading through paradox in a COVID-19 world: Human Resources comes of age”, Human Resource Management Journal, doi. 10.1111/1748-8583.12343.
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Collings, D.G., Scullion, H. and Dowling, P.J. (2009). ‘Global staffing: A review and thematic research agenda’. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 20: 6, 1253–1272.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Collings, D.G., Scullion, H. and Morley, M.J. (2007). ‘Changing patterns of global staffing in the multinational enterprise: Challenges to the conventional expatriate assignment and emerging alternatives’. Journal of World Business, 42: 2, 198–213.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
De Cieri, H. and Lazarova, M., 2020. “Your health and safety is of utmost importance to us”: A review of research on the occupational health and safety of international employees. Human Resource Management Review, doi. 10.1016/j.hrmr.2020.100790.
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Deloitte. (2019). Back to the future: assessing the predicted 2018 global mobility trends and their continued impact in 2019. https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/tax/deloitte-uk-tax-assessing-the-predicted-2018-global-mobility-trends-and-their-continued-impact-in-2019.pdf [Accessed 3 June 2020].
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Dickmann, M. and Mills, T. (2009). ‘The importance of intelligent career and location considerations: exploring the decision to go to London’. Personnel Review, 39: 1, 116–134.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Dixon, L. (2017). Tighter immigration policy pushes firms to open foreign satellite offices. http://www.talenteconomy.io/2017/06/19/tighter-immigration-policy-pushes-firms-open-foreign-satellite-offices/#.WUlkmEY5Yvo.twitter [Accessed 26 June 2020]
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Dowling, P.J., Festing, M. and Engle, A.D. (2008), International Human Resource Management-Managing people in a multinational context. London: Cengage Learning.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Edström, A. and Galbraith, J.R. (1977). ‘Transfer of Managers as a Coordination and Control Strategy in Multinational Organizations’. Administrative Science Quarterly, 22: 2, 248–63.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Fischoff, B., Slovic, P., Lichtenstein, S., Read, S., and Combs, B. (1978). ‘How safe is safe enough? Psychometric study of attitudes toward technological risks’. Policy Sciences, 9: 2, 127–152.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Froese, F.J., Jommersbach, S. and Klautzsch, E. (2013). ‘Cosmopolitan career choices: a cross cultural study of job candidates’ expatriation willingness’. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24: 17, 3247–3261.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Gajendran, R. S. and Harrison, D. A. (2007). ‘The good, the bad, and the unknown about telecommuting: Meta-analysis of psychological mediators and individual consequences’. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92: 6, 1524–1541.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Gartner. (2020). Gartner HR survey reveals at least 41% of employees likely to work remotely at least some of the time post Coronavirus pandemic. https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-04-14-gartner-hr-survey-reveals-41--of-employees-likely-to-. [Accessed 16 June 2020]
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Hoch, J.E. and Kozlowski, S.W. (2014). ‘Leading virtual teams: Hierarchical leadership, structural supports, and shared team leadership’. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99: 3, 390–403.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Horak, S., Farndale, E., Brannen, M.Y. and Collings, D.G. (2019). ‘International human resource management in an era of political nationalism’. Thunderbird International Business Review, 61: 3, 471–480.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Jensen, M.C. and Meckling, W.H. (1976). ‘Theory of the firm: managerial behaviour, agency costs and ownership structures’. Journal of Financial Economics, 3, 305–360.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
KPMG. (2019). Global Assignment Policies and Practices Survey - 2019 Results. https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2019/10/2019-gapp-survey-report-web.pdf [Accessed 3 June 2020].
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Kramer, A. and Kramer, K.Z. (2020). ‘The potential impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on occupational status, work from home, and occupational mobility’. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 119, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103442.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Kraimer, M., Bolino, M. and Mead, B., (2016). ‘Themes in expatriate and repatriate research over four decades: What do we know and what do we still need to learn?’. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 3, 83–109.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Levere, J.L. (2020). Business Travel Has Stopped. No One Knows When It Will Come Back, The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/business/business-travel-coronavirus.html [Accessed 20 May 2020].
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Mahmud, A. (2017). Looking beyond H-1B visas to attract technical talent. Harvard Business Review, https://hbr.org/product/looking-beyond-h-1b-visas-to-find-tech-talent/H03QGQ-PDF-ENG [Accessed June 26, 2020].
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Mäkelä, L. and Kinnunen, U. (2018). ‘International business travelers’ psychological well-being: the role of supportive HR practices’. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29: 7, 1285–1306.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Malhotra, A. and Majchrzak, A. (2014). ‘Enhancing performance of geographically distributed teams through targeted use of information and communication technologies’. Human Relations, 67: 4, 389–411.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
McNulty, Y., De Cieri, H. and Hutchings, K. (2009). ‘Do global firms measure expatriate return on investment? An empirical examination of measures, barriers and variables influencing global staffing practices’. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 20: 6, 1309–1326.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Methot, J.R., Rosado-Solomon, E., Downes, P. and Gabriel, A.S. (2020). ‘Office Chit-Chat as a Social Ritual: The Uplifting Yet Distracting Effects of Daily Small Talk at Work’. Academy of Management Journal, https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2018.1474.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Mogilner, C., Whillans, A. and Norton, M.I., (2018). ‘Time, money, and subjective well-being’, in E. Diener, S. Oishi and L. Tay (eds), Handbook of Well-Being, Salt Lake City, UT: DEF Publishers.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Moore, K. and Lewis, D. (1999). Birth of the multinational, Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business Press.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Oberholster, A.J., Clarke, R., Bendixen, M. and Dastoor, B. (2013). ‘Expatriate motivation in religious and humanitarian non-profit-organizations’. Journal of Global Mobility, 1: 1, 7–27.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Office of National Statistics. (2020). Personal and economic well-being in Great Britain: May 2020. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/personalandeconomicwellbeingintheuk/may2020 [Accessed 3 June 2020]
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
PWC. (2020a). 23rd Annual CEO Pulse Survey, Dublin, PWC.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
PWC (2020b) COVID-19: The implications for Global Mobility and the Mobile Workforce, https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/legal/assets/covid-19-pulse-survey-results.pdf [Accessed 26th June 2020].
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Santa Fe Relocation Services. (2019). ‘The Global Mobility Survey 2019 ‘REVISION: Mobility through the looking glass’. https://www.santaferelo.com/en/mobility-insights/global-mobility-survey/ [Accessed 3 June 2020].
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Shaffer, M. A., Kraimer, M. L., Chen, Y. P., & Bolino, M. C. (2012). ‘Choices, challenges, and career consequences of global work experiences’. Journal of Management, 38: 4, 1282–1327.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Shear, M.B. and Jordan, M. (2020) Trump Suspends Visas Allowing Hundreds of Thousands of Foreigners to Work in the U.S., The New York Times, https://nyti.ms/2V9P861 [Accessed 26 June 2020].
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
UK Home Office. (2020). ‘The UK's points-based immigration system: policy statement.’ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uks-points-based-immigration-system-policy-statement/the-uks-points-based-immigration-system-policy-statement. [Accessed 16 June 2020].
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Wagner, M.R. and Westaby, J.D. (2009). ‘The willingness to relocate to another country: the impact of cultural similarity destination safety, and financial incentive’. International Journal of Psychology, 44: 4, 257–265.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Welch, D.E., and Worm, V. (2006), ‘International Business Travellers: A Challenge for IHRM,’ in G.K. Stahl and I. Björkman (eds), Handbook of Research in International Human Resource Management, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
You, J., Bohannon, J., and Stone, R. (2017). ‘Raising the drawbridge’. Science, 355: 6328, 896.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Zimmermann, A. (2019). ‘Managing Virtual Talent’, in D.G. Collings, H. Scullion and P.M. Caligiuri (eds), Global Talent Management, second edition, New York: Routledge.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article

Research insights: Global mobility in a post-covid world1

Abstract

Paradigm

My account