David S. A. Guttormsen

“Multiculturality” as a key methodological challenge during in-depth interviewing in international business research

Purpose – Although qualitative methods have now gained a stronger foothold in international business (IB) research, they remain under researched, especially regarding how researchers can overcome obstacles created when interviewers exhibit “multiculturality” during international field research projects. The purpose of this paper is to analyse how researchers’ multicultural backgrounds create challenges and opportunities in data collection during in-depth interviewing, and how such backgrounds further impact on the power imbalance between researchers and interviewees. Design/methodology/approach – The two multicultural co-authors of this paper draw upon their 141 in-depth interview experiences with expatriates and local staff across five separate field research projects in Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, South Korea, Finland, and the USA. Field research experiences are analysed through a Bourdieusian-inspired “epistemic reflexive” self-interrogation process between the two co-authors. Findings – This paper ...

A critical exploration of ‘access’ in qualitative International Business field research: towards a concept of socio-cultural and multidimensional research practice

Purpose – Researchers often face challenges in locating and obtaining relevant and meaningful information during qualitative international business (IB) field research in other countries. This process constitutes an immensely critical phase, which determines the success or failure of the research endeavour. The purpose of this paper is to discuss “access” as a multidimensional and contestable concept that poses particular challenges in international and multicultural research contexts. Design/methodology/approach – This paper builds on the experience as field researchers in China/Hong Kong (120 in-depth interviews) and the need to disseminate acquired field experiences, in particular concerning “access”. The multifaceted issue of “access” is rarely featured on the IB methodological agenda, and has become a silent feature of qualitative IB research. Findings – This paper is devoted to this nexus: the lack of focus on “access” issues, and the rich sources of acquired, but mostly veiled, field experiences th...

Introducing the expatriate ‘Entry-Mode’: an exploratory qualitative study of a missing link in global mobility and expatriate management research

ABSTRACT This article introduces the novel concepts of expatriate ‘entry-modes’, ‘comb-patriates’, and ‘Fourth-Country Nationals’ (FCNs), emerging from an exploratory qualitative investigation of 51 Scandinavian expatriates in Hong Kong. Global mobility research has traditionally been overly focused on the characteristics and background variables of expatriates or accumulated experiences after arrival, and has neglected the phase and mode of entering the new host country. Unveiling new global mobility patterns is significant for multinational enterprises’ (MNE) global talent recruitment, and has implications for training and development. This is due to directing the focus towards the increasing numbers of those individuals who are not expatriating in the conventional linear fashion, such as between an MNE’s headquarter (HQ) and its subsidiaries overseas. The critical stance taken in this article is articulated through a theoretical lens comprising a social constructionist epistemology. Theoretical contributions, future research avenues, as well as managerial relevance and policy implications are also discussed.

Inclusive management in international organizations: How does it affect local and expatriate academics?

Purpose n n n n nA growing number of academics relocate abroad to work as expatriates in the university sector. While this employee group seems to have a highly constructive influence on the performance of university organizations, some problems in relation to effective inclusion of these individuals have been noted. In order to further advance the theoretical understanding regarding integration efforts in international university organizations, the purpose of this paper is to explore how two types of inclusive management, empowering management (identity-blind) vs English management communication (identity-conscious), affect local and expatriate academics. n n n n nDesign/methodology/approach n n n n nUsing responses generated from a survey of 792 local and 620 expatriate academics, this paper assesses the effects of inclusive management on job engagement and stress among the two groups. n n n n nFindings n n n n nThe results show that one type of inclusive management, empowering management (identity-blind), has a favorable influence on job engagement and stress in both subsamples. The other type, English management communication (identity-conscious), increases stress for local academics but has no effect on the expatriates. These findings are useful for theory development in relation to employee inclusion in international organizations. n n n n nOriginality/value n n n n nThe authors have little knowledge about how inclusive management functions in international organizations. Testing the effect of identity-blind and identity-conscious inclusive management practices among two different groups of local and expatriate academics provides new insight to this area. In particular, the use of English management communication provides new knowledge on the integration of majority and minority groups in international organizations.

Fringe Voices in Cross-Cultural Management Research: Silenced and Neglected?

Abstract This introductory article asks if there are silenced and neglected voices in current cross-cultural management research, and if so, what we can learn from them. Taking departure in the six articles selected for this guest issue we argue that there are indeed valuable fringe voices and that some are neglected while others are instead silenced. From there we proceed to propose new avenues for future research that allow fringe exploration to compete for the attention so far mainly held by the dominant mainstream cross-cultural management literature. We argue that in moving across paradigms cross-cultural management research should confront and oppose excessively simplified notions on culture, nations and individuals. Moreover, we maintain a need for cross-cultural management researchers to question, ourselves and the literature we read, if knowledge produced actually challenges preconceptions or rather comforts the readers.

Advancing Otherness and Othering of the cultural Other during ‘Intercultural Encounters’ in Cross-Cultural Management Research

Abstract This article argues that theorising Otherness and Othering of the cultural Other is integral to identity construction during intercultural encounters, but has largely been neglected in Cross-Cultural Management (CCM) research. Intercultural encounters entail the exchange of cultural identities and ideas when individuals from different cultures interact with each other or multicultural organizations. Otherness signals the ascribed qualities attributed to the Other and is expressed through conceptual boundary markers regarding what constitutes Us and Them. Othering, however, reflects the above boundary-production as an underlying cultural process which maintains (and reproduces) such boundaries. Consequently, the CCM research agenda has overly focused on “cultural differences,” values and broad-stroke dimensions of fixed “national cultures” at the expense of identity constructions that transpire when individuals from different cultures are interacting. This article builds theory through advancing the Otherness and Othering concepts, which are key missing interrelationships to Self in CCM research. This is achieved by coupling CCM theory with intellectual developments in Social Anthropology and Sociology.