Background: Europe has gained an extra amount of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) during recent years, blurring the current and future state of global mobility. The scarce literature regarding the influence of the turbulent and interconnected external environment in the field of global mobility, particularly in the Western world, highlights the importance of examining the current environment and how it influences the perceptions of global professionals carrying vital implications for organizations and their global strategies. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to contribute to the field of global mobility by creating a holistic view of the current and future state of international assignments. We aim to unveil the implications the interconnected external environment, utilizing the VUCA framework, has on global mobility through the perspective of self-initiated expatriates (SIEs). Method: We conducted an inductive qualitative multi-case study rooted in social constructionism and relativistic perspective to ensure catching the subjective experiences and viewpoints of SIEs. We conducted 17 semi-structured interviews with SIEs who were currently on an international assignment in Germany and who, through purposive sampling, fulfilled strict boundary conditions. We analyzed the data using a thematic analysis approach to derive deeper meaning and construct rich empirical findings. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the interconnectedness of SIEs’ strong intrinsic motivation together with personal factors, international assignment environment, and available support mechanisms influence their perceptions of international assignments in the surrounding VUCA environment. Perceived stress caused by the VUCA environment as well as the decision-making regarding international assignments are additionally interdependent with the above factors. Accordingly, this enabled us to derive the current and future status of international assignments in the turbulent VUCA world.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hj-64528 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Aho, Anna-Maria, Lehtinen, Sanni |
| Publisher | Jönköping University, Internationella Handelshögskolan |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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