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- Soft skills in expatriationPublication . Silva, Susana; Martins, Dora; Silva, CândidaContemporary competitiveness and globalisation drives organisations to explore new markets, and provide themselves with distinctive features and value added. Additionally, the literature underlines the importance of this global environment impact the processes of managing Human resources in organisations. Therefore, the adequacy of human resources is imperative in the strategy of organisations. This study aims to understand the importance of the international assignment, to understand the soft skills most valued by recruiters and how is their evaluation. To successfully address these aims we conducted a qualitative study. The data collection method used was semi-structured interview and were interviewed ten recruiters of expatriates. Data were analysed according to content analysis procedures The results suggest that soft skills are important features in the international assignment, since that act on factors that influence the success of the assignment. The most important skills are interpersonal relationships, teamwork, communication, adaptability and tolerance to ambiguity. We discuss the main practical and theoretical implications, and offer some suggestions for further studies.
- The Expatriation pattern in portuguese companiesPublication . Martins, DoraThis study aims to understand the expatriation pattern of a sample of Portuguese companies. Specifically, it shows the types of international assignment, the host countries, the reasons that lead Portuguese companies to use expatriates, the duration these international assignments and the profile of expatriation workers. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews of 30 Portuguese repatriates and 14 organizational representatives from seven Headquarters’ Portuguese companies. A qualitative methodology was followed with resource to semi-structured interviews to collect information and the analysis of the thematic content was used for data processing. The obtained results allowed for the following conclusions to be reached: (1) the management of expatriation is at an incipient stage. More than a strategic activity, the sample companies develop a purely administrative management of their expatriates/repatriates; (2) expatriation is assumed as a strategy to control the operations of foreign branches; (3) the reasons that lead Portuguese companies to expatriating employees are connected to business needs and the control of international operations; (4) despite international assignments had several destination countries, Angola and Brazil were referred to as the most representative; (5) the majority of Portuguese companies use the expatriates to do a technical international assignments. For this, the selection decision is by workers who the companies trust and who have a good technical knowledge. In sum, this study, by covering a new geographical context not yet explored, helps to bridge this gap. On the other hand, the management strategy of the expatriates and the dimension of the company can help to explain some of the specificities in the expatriation pattern found in the Portuguese companies compared to other countries. For example, the study helps to understand that in these companies expatriations of technical kind predominate over a developmental, a functional and strategic kind. The Portuguese companies are more connected to the need to implement corporate objectives and transfer home base culture to foreign branches. Comparing results found to those recently obtained by Tungli and Peiperl (2009), Portuguese companies resemble companies in the UK and Japan (i.e., using expatriation to create a new operation) more than North American companies (i.e., to fill competency gaps). Management of expatriates in these companies seems to be in congruency with the majority of European companies with an IHRM ethnocentric approach (Mayrhofer & Brewster, 1996) i.e. the authority and decision making are centered in the home base. This type of strategy is typical of companies, which have recently started an internationalization process, in which the central positions in the branches are attributed to expatriates from the company’s headquarters. Expatriates have a central role in transmitting culture and technical knowledge from company’s headquarters to the company’s branches. Companies with an ethnocentric management (Colakoglu & Caligiuri, 2007) tend to consider expatriates from company’s headquarters to be more reliable than native collaborators from the countries where the company branches are located.
- Satisfaction towards human resources practices and repatriates’ retention: an empirical examination in the portuguese companies contextPublication . Martins, Dora; Rego, Arménio; Proença, TeresaThis paper examines the relationship between the level of satisfaction towards Human Resources Management practices among repatriates and the decision to remain on the home company after expatriation. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews of 28 Portuguese repatriates who remain and 16 organisational representatives from eight companies located in Portugal. The results show that (1) compensation system during the international assignment; (2) permanent support during the international assignment and; (3) recognition upon the return of the work and effort of expatriates during the international assignment are the most important HRM practices for promoting satisfaction among repatriates. Moreover, it is at repatriation phase that repatriates show higher dissatisfaction with HRM support. These findings will be discussed in detail and implications and suggestions for future research will be proposed as well.
- The influence of pre-departure training on expatriate adjustment: an empirical investigation with portuguese international assigneesPublication . Martins, Dora; Tomé, EduardoThis chapter examines the cross-cultural influence of training on the adjustment of international assignees. We focus on the pre-departure training (PDT) before an international assignment. It is an important topic because in the globalized world of today more and more expatriations are needed. The absence of PDT may generate the failure of the expatriation experience. Companies may neglect PDT due to cost reduction practices and ignorance of the need for it. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews to 42 Portuguese international assignees and 18 organizational representatives from nine Portuguese companies. The results suggest that companies should develop PDT programs, particularly when the cultural distance to the host country is bigger and when there is no previous experience of expatriation to that country in the company. The study is original because it details in depth the methods of PDT, its problems, and consequences. Some limitations linked to the research design and detailed in the conclusion should be overcome in future studies.
- Intercultural adaptation: an exploratory study with portuguese expatriates in AngolaPublication . Pinto, Ivone; Martins, DoraThis paper aims to present the results of the intercultural adaptation of Portuguese expatriate workers in Angola. More specifically, it explores the perception of the expatriates participating in the study regarding their adaptation to the Angolan intercultural context. Intercultural adaptation presupposes the definition of the degree of psychological and family comfort that the expatriates feel in relation to the new environment as well as the degree of ease or difficulty with which they adapt to the day-to-day and the development of the work in the host country (Ramalu et al., 2010; Chang, 1997). Since intercultural adaptation is a process that involves behavioral, emotional, cognitive and attitudinal changes resulting from interaction with a new and different cultural context, intercultural adaptation behaves as a determinant of the (in) success of the international mission (Ramalu et al. 2010). The well-being of an expatriate results from the acceptance with the new culture, the ability to perform the function in the host organization as well as the ability to relate to the natives of that country (Lee & Vorst, 2010). However, the cultural differences between the country of origin and the host country may result in a set of barriers to which expatriates are exposed. In addition, expatriates are confronted with values, beliefs and perceptions that may differ from those they believe in or from those with whom they are familiar (Geetika & Gupta, 2012). Considering that intercultural adjustment continues to deserve high attention by researchers in international human resources management (Dabic, Gonzalez-Loureiro & Harvey, 2015), and at the same time the trend of expatriation growth in Portuguese companies to the Angolan context in recent years, reinforce the pertinence of this study. To obtain empirical evidence, a qualitative methodology was used. The instrument for collecting privileged information was the semi-structured interview, and 13 interviews were conducted with Portuguese expatriates in Angola. The results suggest that the process of intercultural adaptation of Portuguese expatriates to the Angolan context is not standardized, since three possible behaviors were perceived by the participants involved in the study: (1) existence of an intercultural shock in the initial phase of arrival in Angola but outdated with the international mission; (2) existence of an intercultural shock that has never been overcome; (3) lack of intercultural shock. We conclude that the process of intercultural adaptation of Portuguese expatriates to the Angolan context may be influenced by (1) contextual factors such as the cultural, economic and political differences between the two countries; (2) by factors of an individual nature, such as personality traits of individuals and; (3) factors of an organizational nature, namely the lack of good organizational support practices for the intercultural adjustment of expatriates. Finally, the conclusions suggest that organizations with experience in expatriation may need to reconsider their expatriation policies, with particular emphasis on issues related to intercultural preparation. The main contributions, limitations and suggestions for future studies are also presented.
- Exploring Intercultural Adjustment of Self-Initiated Expatriates: A Study of Brazilians in PortugalPublication . Martins, Dora; Pereira, Susana da Silva; Silva, Quéren Hapuque Alves daSelf-initiated expatriation is a widespread phenomenon that has gained limited attention, in particular related to some countries and industries. Recent literature indicates that the hospitality industry is looking for talent beyond national boundaries. The main goal of this study is to understand the experiences of Brazilian self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) residing in Portugal. We are studying how individuals adjust to the job market and Portuguese society, to identify factors that help or hinder their integration into a country known as "sister nations." The methodology employed in this study involved a qualitative approach to comprehensively investigate the experiences of Brazilian SIEs living in Portugal. A semi-structured interview script was administered to the participants, focusing on their perceptions of cultural adjustment in the country. The findings of this research indicate that adapting to the intercultural environment in Portugal can be quite difficult in terms of professional development. Building social connections and being part of the SIE communities is crucial for a smooth transition and integration into the country. The perception of acceptance by the local community varies, with some individuals reporting positive experiences while others encounter prejudice and discrimination. Participants mentioned that the main challenge in finding work in Portugal is the recognition of degrees in certain fields of study. The final section outlines the study's limitations and suggests future research directions, with a specific focus on SIEs in Portugal.
- Gestão de expatriados: um estudo exploratório em empresas portuguesas com operações em MoçambiquePublication . Machanisse, Eva; Martins, DoraEste estudo tem como objetivo compreender a fase de preparação da expatriação de empresas portuguesas para Moçambique. Mais concretamente, procura explorar as práticas de Gestão de Recursos Humanos desenvolvidas durante a fase de preparação de missões internacionais para Moçambique. Para a realização do estudo foram selecionadas 5 empresas portuguesas que têm experiência de expatriação de colaboradores para Moçambique. Foi utilizada a metodologia qualitativa, optando-se pelo estudo caso múltiplo e exploratório. O instrumento de recolha de informação foi a entrevista semiestruturada. No total, foram realizadas 12 entrevistas, das quais 5 destinaram-se a representantes organizacionais e 7 a expatriados/repatriados das 5 empresas em estudo. Os resultados sugerem que as empresas portuguesas preparam a expatriação para Moçambique. Porém, essa preparação é feita de forma informal, não existindo ainda um programa formalizado de preparação de expatriações, nomeadamente para Moçambique. Na parte final do trabalho são discutidos os principais resultados obtidos e apresentadas as conclusões do estudo aqui levado a cabo. Finalmente, baseado nos resultados, o artigo discute em detalhe as principais implicações teóricas e práticas. Sugestões de pesquisa futura são também apresentadas.
- Expatriation: the focus on psychological contractPublication . Silva, Susana; Santiago, Filipa; Martins, DoraIn the past few years, the number of expatriates has shown a growth trend worldwide. Accordingly, the expatriate management, which integrates the subsystem of International Human Resources Management, has now a renewed attention and has been growing as an intervention area of Human Resources Management. Therefore, the psychological contract has been seen, more and more, as a relevant factor in explaining the labour relations and the number of studies around this theme has increased. The success of expatriation is directly influenced by the psychological contract and depends largely on how HRM practices are developed (Homem & Tolfo, 2008). Understanding the reaction of workers through changes (Bligh & Carsten, 2005; Shield et al., 2002) is essential, since the response behaviour can be a crucial contribution to the success or failure of the international assignment. In the same context, we are witnessing an increasing attention on the contribution that the Psychological Contract may have under uncertainty. The individual, as an employee of an organization that decides to accept an international assignment and move to another country, needs to fit in a continuous and motivating relationship with the employer. The concept of the psychological contract is fundamental to the understanding of labour relations, based on the perceptions of those involved. Many aspects of these relationships are implicit (unwritten) which can cause different interpretations of expectations, promises and obligations between parties. Several authors argue that the psychological contract is the key to understand and manage the attitudes and behaviour of individuals in organizations (Bunderson, 2001; Kraimer et al., 2005; Lemire & Rouillard, 2005). The goal of this work is to understand the psychological contract in expatriates: before the assignment, after adjustment to the host country and repatriation. A qualitative methodology was used, and for that we applied semi-structured individual interviews and sociographic questionnaire to people who were, at the time, expatriate. In total, ten interviews were conducted and the analysis of the interviews were made through Grounded Theory. The results suggest that there is only fulfilment of the psychological contract in the stage of the preparation of the international assignment, existing, on the other hand, breach of the psychological contract during expatriation and at repatriation, according to the perception that expatriates have about the end of expatriation. However, most of the interviewed expatriates evaluates positively the expatriation experience, although organizations appear to have just a few rules to support expatriate, particularly logistical and financial support, and not having a complete and thorough program of support to the expatriation management. The results also suggest that it is essential that organizations encourage communication with expatriates and promote the continuous support, which should be constant and intrinsic to all phases of expatriation in order to avoid the “abandon” feeling.