Supporting Self-Initiated Expatriates · • How do the SIEs experience the support from Games...

University of Southern Denmark, Campus Slagelse Department of Leadership and Strategy Master Thesis prepared by: Sophie Szigethy 100588-2008 MSc Change Management, 4th semester Date of delivery: 01/09-16 Number of keystrokes: 149.403

Supervisor: Marian Van Bakel, PhD Department of Marketing and Management

SupportingSelf-InitiatedExpatriates

- Acasestudyoncross-culturaladjustmentofself-initiatedexpatriates

Abstract The current body of literature on expatriation is overwhelmingly focused on organizational

expatriates (OE) compared to the self-initiated expatriates (SIE) – SIEs do however represent a

sizeable amount of the total expatriates. Challenges and situations encountered by OEs and

SIEs are similar on many points, but do still differ in several aspects such as options for pre-

departure training. This thesis contains a case study of Games Corporation (GC), a

multinational game-developer based in Ireland, and their SIEs' experience of the support that

they receive in regards to cross-cultural adjustment. The study constructs a theoretical

framework based on OE literature (in-lieu of SIE specific literature) that helps identify the

differences between the two expatriate types. These differences and the framework provide

focus for a qualitative interview with a GC representative to map their support programs and

strategy. These interview statements are then cross-analysed in comparison to how five SIEs

experience this support and to identify gaps such as in pre-departure didactic training, logistical

support and practical training. The thesis suggests several concrete options for GC to revise

their support program in order to further cross-cultural adjustment of their SIEs as well as

initialising further areas of research into SIE support and adjustment.

Key words: Self-initiated expatriates; organizational expatriates; cross-cultural adjustment;

cross-cultural training; perceived organizational support

Solemn Declaration I, the undersigned, solemnly declare that I have individually and independently written this

report. All quotations in the text are marked as such, and the report or important parts of it

have not previously been subject to assessment.

Sophie Szigethy 100588-2008

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Table of Contents 1 Introduction...........................................................................................................................41.1 ProblemidentificationandResearchQuestion..........................................................................51.2 RelevantCompanyProfile..........................................................................................................61.3 MethodandOverview...............................................................................................................61.4 Delimitations..............................................................................................................................71.5 Definitions..................................................................................................................................8

2 MethodologicalApproach...................................................................................................112.1 PhilosophyofScience...............................................................................................................11

2.1.1 PhilosophyofConstructivism...............................................................................................112.2 ResearchMethodology............................................................................................................13

2.2.1 TheCaseStudyResearchDesign..........................................................................................132.2.2 ResearchStrategy................................................................................................................152.2.3 CriticismoftheResearchMethodology...............................................................................17

2.3 GatheringData.........................................................................................................................172.3.1 PreparingtheInterviewwiththeHRManager....................................................................182.3.2 PreparingtheInterviewwithSelf-InitiatedExpatriates:GameAdvisors.............................20

2.4 Analysis.....................................................................................................................................212.5 ReliabilityandValidity..............................................................................................................22

3 TheTheoreticalCore...........................................................................................................253.1 Theory:HowtoIncreaseCross-CulturalAdjustment...............................................................27

3.1.1 Strategy1:TheTheoreticalModelofInternationalAdjustment..........................................273.1.2 Strategy2:Cross-CulturalTraining......................................................................................323.1.3 Strategy3:PerceivedOrganisationalSupport(POS)...........................................................34

4 PartOne:Analysis................................................................................................................374.1 AnalysisofthequalitativeinterviewwithHRManager...........................................................37

4.1.1..................................................................................................................................................374.1.2 SupportpriortotheSIEsarrival...........................................................................................374.1.3 SupportaftertheSIEsarrival...............................................................................................394.1.4 RetainingtheSIEs.................................................................................................................424.1.5 Opportunityforimprovement..............................................................................................43

4.2 Summary–HowdoGamesCorporationsupporttheirSIEs?...................................................44

5 PartTwo:Analysis................................................................................................................475.1 AnalysisofthequalitativeinterviewwithSIEs.........................................................................47

5.1.1 SupportpriortotheSIEsarrival...........................................................................................475.1.2 SupportaftertheSIEsarrival...............................................................................................49

5.2 Summary–HowdotheSIEsexperiencethesupportfromGamesCorporation?...................59

6 PartThree:Discussion.........................................................................................................626.1 Discussionofthefindings.........................................................................................................62

6.1.1 Supportpriortothearrival..................................................................................................626.1.2 SupportaftertheSIEsarrival...............................................................................................64

6.2 Conclusivesummary-HowcanGamesCorporationexpandtheircurrentSIEsupport-programand-strategiesinordertoincreasecross-culturaladjustment?............................................69

7 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................737.1 Limitationsofstudy..................................................................................................................757.2 SuggestionsforFurtherResearch............................................................................................76

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8 References...........................................................................................................................78

Appendices are enclosed separately

List of Figures & Tables Figure 1: Framework of International adjustment 29 Figure 2: Determinants of adjustment to International Assignment 29 Table 1: Delivery mechanisms of CCT 34

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1 Introduction

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1 Introduction In the rapidly changing and globalized world cross-border mobility has become a reality of

everyday life for a substantial amount of people (Szkudlarek, 2010). This means that more

people than ever are moving abroad to work in a foreign country. The process of voluntarily

moving from one’s native country to foreign country is called expatriation. During the

expatriation process the expatriate can be confronted with many obstacles both in their new

place of work and the foreign society in which they now reside: culture shock, differences in

work-related norms, isolation, homesickness, differences in health care, housing, schooling,

cuisine, language, customs, gender roles, and cost of living, are just some of the challenges that

an expatriate can be faced with while being abroad (Mendenhall et al., 1987). The expatriate

may not be able to adapt to the physical or cultural differences of the environment, have the

necessary the required personal skills for cross-cultural interaction or there may be adjustment

difficulties for the family of the expatriate (Littrell et al., 2006). Furthermore, the inability to

communicate with the locals or to adjust to the overall characteristics of the host culture has

been listed as critical factors in determining success or failure on expatriate assignments (Ibid.).

Failing to overcome these challenges can result in the expatriate deciding to leave host country

due to the many stress factors associated with these obstacles (Ibid.). The expatriate’s choice

of ending their stay prematurely can be extremely costly for several of the parties involved: 1.

completion of the expatriate’s assignment (which may be extremely critical to investors,

organizations, and customers) may be halted for an undetermined amount of time (until another

can resume the tasks and duties). 2. The organisation which is sending out an employee have,

most likely, invested time and money in choosing and training a specific employee to complete

the assignment, which means that the selection and training processes will have to be repeated.

3. Ending the stay prematurely may have negative implications for the expatriate’s further

career and possibilities for promotions. Considering this there is a significant amount of

incentive for the organisation to support the expatriate in a variety of ways to ensure the success

of the venture. Expatriation literature generally focus on three primary phases where the

expatriate is in need of support from the organisation: 1. Before they leave their home country.

2. While they are staying in the host country and 3. After they have left host country and

returned home.

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Literature on the subject has primarily revolved around Cross-Cultural Adjustment (CCA) to

provide tools for the expatriate to overcome these challenges and ensure the success of the

expatriates’ assignment and how multinational companies (MNC) can support its expatriates

during this process in order to maximize the expatriates’ CCA. CCA of expatriates has been

comprehensively investigated since the 1960’s and 1970’s (Black & Mendenhall, 1990), but

has almost exclusively been focused on one kind of expatriates; the organisational expatriate

(OE). The self-initiated expatriates (SIEs), on the other hand, seems to be a forgotten topic in

international human resources management (IHRM) literature (Jokinen, Brewster & Suutari,

2008; Suutari & Brewster, 2000; Forster, 2000). Nevertheless, many of the people working in

another country are self-initiated expatriates (Jokinen, Brewster & Suutari: 2008) and can be

considered an equally important topic (Howe-Walsh & Schyns, 2010).

Other than the previously mentioned challenges that expatriates are confronted with during

expatriation, the SIEs are additionally confronted with a completely new company. Since the

degree of adjustment somewhat predicts performance and completion of the assignment

(Waxin, 2004), CCA of the SIEs should play a significant role for the MNC. The CCA of SIEs

should be a top priority of MNCs in order to reduce poor performance and ensure that the

expatriate quickly performs to the company’s standard. MNCs should acknowledge that they

can play a crucial role in supporting the SIEs during two periods of expatriation, i.e. support

prior to arrival and support after arrival.

1.1 Problem identification and Research Question

There is, in the author's opinion, a need for concrete strategies designed specifically for SIE

support in order to increase CCA. As the hiring MNC(s) likely constitutes the most firm point

of reference or anchor for a SIE arriving in a new country there is ample opportunity for the

company to play a part in adjusting the SIE to their new home. Not only will a fast and smooth

adjustment phase ease the SIE’s quality of life and general well-being, but the hiring company

are also very likely to see a good return in their investment through factors such as faster and

higher productivity.

These considerations have led to the formulation of the following research question:

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How can Games Corporation expand their current SIE support-program and -strategies

in order to increase cross-cultural adjustment?

The following sub-questions aim to provide focus and relevance to the thesis's chapters as

well as giving balanced viewpoints on the situation:

• How do Games Corporation support their SIEs?

• How do the SIEs experience the support from Games Corporation?

1.2 Relevant Company Profile

Games Corporation is the pseudonym (actual identity is, of course, known by the author) for a

multinational videogame-developer and –publisher based in the United States of America.

Games Corporation consist of dozens of studios and offices around the world that creates, and

have created, hundreds of game titles across all major gaming platforms. Their primary

European customer-support centre, which is the department who the author has been

cooperating with, is located in Galway, Ireland and houses almost 400 employees. About 260

are not from Ireland, but are 22 other nationalities. They function as Game Advisors (GA), who

provide first-line support to Games Corporation’s customers. GAs are most often contracted

permanently with a minimum period of one year (Appendix 2).

Unfortunately, much of the specific information about Games Corporation, for

example what game-titles they have released, founding year or exact amount of employees,

studios and offices, cannot be disclosed here as the author is bound by non-disclosure

agreements and agreements to withhold the identity of the company. The author may, upon

request, be allowed to disclose some or all of this information to any who have a specific reason

or need to review this information for validation.

1.3 Method and Overview

The method for answering the research question will consist of a case study of, and cooperation

with, Games Corporation. The thesis takes a hermeneutical approach to answering the research

question. Initially the existing literature and theories on relevant topics, are reviewed and

explained to construct a framework for the following analyses and discussions to exist in. This

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creates a sort of thematised flow throughout the thesis where a horizon of understanding of the

topic is continuously revisited, discussed, and refined to approach a larger truth. A truth that

provides the basis for answering the research question.

The thesis consists of seven chapters.

Chapter 2 (Methodological Approach) is comprised of choices concerning

philosophy of science and the methodology. Considerations regarding research methodology,

strategy and data collecting methods are also presented and described in this chapter.

Chapter 3 (The Theoretical Core) contains a literature review of the works

concerning SIEs followed by a short review of the differences between OE and SIE and the

importance of company support during expatriation in relation to adjustment. The chapter also

presents the theories that serves as foundation for the thesis’ theoretical framework and initial

understanding of how a MNC can support SIEs in order to increase adjustment.

Chapter 4 (Part One: Analysis) contains the first analytical parts where the first

sub-question, “How does Games Corporation support their self-initiated expatriates?”, is

answered. This chapter consists of theoretical and empirical findings and provide the study

with an understanding of what strategy, policies and support practices Games Corporation

have in order to support and increase adjustment of their SIEs.

The second part of the analysis is found in Chapter 5 (Part Two: Analysis) and is

primarily based on the interviewees’ (SIEs’) statements. The analysis consists of the

interviewees understanding of the support given by Games Corporation and furthermore in

relation to the challenges they were encountered with, what support practices were missing.

The two analyses (Chapter 4 & 5) and the theoretical frame is then discussed and interrelated

in Chapter 6 (Part Three: Discussion). In this chapter an overall conclusion will be drawn in

order to answer the thesis’ research question and produce recommendations for the company to

incorporate. In the penultimate chapter, Chapter 7 (Conclusion, Implications & Suggestions for

future research), will the final conclusion be presented alongside with the implications of this

study and the author's considerations and reflections on the thesis' process and results.

1.4 Delimitations

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate what options Games Corporation for support

their SIEs in order to increase CCA. This means that this study refrains from looking at the

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MNC as a whole but rather singularly focus on the sub-division located in Galway, Ireland. It

should be noted that cultural differences in regards to the interviewees (SIEs) native culture

compared to Ireland has not been taken into account. The reasoning behind this disregard for

cultural differences or similarities is primarily founded in the invalidation of the results (as pre-

emptively choosing respondents with either very similar or very different cultures from Irish

would skew the results and responses). Additionally, as the aim of this thesis is to find a

common basis for the support strategies, which may not have been possible if cultural

differences were taken into account. The cultural differences would have created different

support strategies in relation to the respective countries and since this study is focused on what

support Games Corporation generally can provide, cultural background of the SIEs was not

considered.

The motivation for going abroad can have an influence on the adjustment of SIEs, as for

example some SIEs might move because of a specific country whereas the SIEs might be

prepared more on the cultural challenges than the job itself. This study does not take this into

account since this study focus more on company’s support practices than the motivation for

going abroad even though it might have an influence on the SIE's adjustment.

1.5 Definitions

Multinational Corporation (MNC)

is “an enterprise operation in several countries but managed from one (home) country.

Generally, any company or group that derives a quarter of its revenue from operations outside

of its home country is considered a multinational corporation”1.

Self-Initiated Expatriate (SIE)

The SIE is an expat who has independently chosen to leave their native country and seek

international assignments instead of being assigned by a company (Doherty & Thorn, 2015)

(Howe-Walsh & Schyns, 2010). The SIEs initiate their own expatriation and find a position in

another country by themselves (Ibid.).

1 http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/multinational-corporation-MNC.html

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Organisational Expatriate (OE)

The OE, also called company-sent or corporate expatriate, is an expat who are dispatched by

their company to international posts in foreign settings (Peltokorpi & Froese, 2013).

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2 Methodological

Approach

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2 Methodological Approach This chapter contains the methodological considerations that was employed in order to examine

how Games Corporation can support their self-initiated Game Advisors. The chapter initially

presents the philosophical considerations for the scientific approach to the topic.

2.1 Philosophy of Science

To every academic discussion is philosophy of science significant. The standpoint of the

philosophy of science dictates which kind of methods that is seen as valid (Ankersborg, 2011).

That is why there need to be a consistency between the choice of philosophy of science and the

choice of method. The choice of method is dependent upon what is going to be investigated and

what kind of resources you have at your disposal (Ibid.). The thesis’ philosophical position will

in this section be explained, this will operate as a framework for this investigation.

2.1.1 Philosophy of Constructivism

The social constructivist perception of reality is that “the knowledge that we have about the

reality and the way we perceive it as true and objective, is constructed in a constructivist

frame of understanding which becomes a perception of reality we have constructed through

interactions” (Juul & Pedersen, 2012: 188). According to the social constructivist approach

the truth is constructed or created and not discovered through research (Ibid.). The one and

only truth does not exist within the social constructivist viewpoint but is dependent on the

perspective one has on a specific issue (Ibid.). These understandings are constructed of our

individual biography, experience and values but also by the history and social articulations

of, or discourses on, how the world should be understood (Ibid.).

In the social constructivist position particular emphasis is placed on “revealing and creating

awareness of the ways in which individuals (including researchers) and groups involved in

the creation of what they perceive as truths” (Ibid.: 189). This involves examinations of how

social phenomena are constructed, the power relations that have affected the retention of

certain truths and how they have been institutionalized in society and have become part of

the culture and politics (Ibid.). Science cannot determine what nature's ideal state is, nor is

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the research task for social constructivists. The task is rather to examine which interests,

arguments and assumptions about the “truth” underlying the ruling or diverging positions

(Ibid.). The research can furthermore contribute with knowledge about the consequences that

varying concepts of nature may have for the space we inhabit. Results are through this also

applicable to different population groups living in this nature, but it is essential to point out

that this knowledge is never objective and that the decision on what should be done is

ultimately not based on a scientifically objective basis but on policy, safeguarding interests

and research from a certain perspective (Juul & Pedersen, 2012).

This means that the author has the power to construct a truth through the decisions which

have been taken in relation to the thesis’ intention. The chosen literature on expatriation and

the methodological choices has been components in creating a truth, a specific reality that

has been constructed through this process. By taking the social constructivists position the

author recognizes that the research is merely a glimpse of a specific situation in a given time.

This does not, however, make the findings of the thesis any less significant or invalid as the

results are readily available for further research considerations. The author’s previous

experiences in life can also have an elusive impact as they are contributing in shaping the

interpretations and understanding of both the validity of statements, theory, and empirical

data. When attaching the social constructivist approach, the author acknowledges that all

forms of cognition takes place through a framework of understanding. This is not innate but

the outcome of the culture and history that the author has been part of.

2.1.1.1 Epistemology and Ontology

The social constructivist epistemology rejects that there can be obtained objective knowledge

of what we are investigating. The influence of prevailing discourses means that we always look

at social phenomena from a certain perspective which also applies to the researcher. There is

no neutral point from which we, as researchers, can see it. We simply examine it to the best of

our ability (Ibid.). The social constructivist ontology functions under the assumption that there

does not exist one truth. This approach is thus to identify power, interests and preconceptions

among the actors involved. A "reality" is created, reproduced by people through their

interpretation and understanding of their current "reality". This gradually become the

perception that is created between human risk to the "truths" for a period - and through decisions

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at the political level and everyday life are transformed into structural framework for our actions

(Ibid.).

The selected literature represents the author’s preconceptions in the approach to the topic and

research question. The understanding of the world does not exist independently of the theories,

but is created through other theories and preconceptions (Ibid.). It is extremely important to

note that even though the literature have been chosen on a basis of providing the best possible

foundation to discuss the thesis' topic it is still affected by the author's preconceptions of what

is important for the thesis in that specific moment. The reality is created through this literature

and preconceptions. This does however not mean that all theories are appropriate to be

acknowledged as presuppositions. The literature used should, according to the social

constructivist position, have scientific quality and must be able to contribute to the elucidation

of the research question (Ibid.). This is a key aspect of the social constructivist paradigm (Ibid.).

2.2 Research Methodology

This section will contain the design of the research and articulate why the different methods

is relevant for this thesis and why they were chosen. This should contribute to the readers

understanding of how this thesis empirical data was developed. Additionally, this section

will include the overall considerations for the methodology of this thesis.

2.2.1 The Case Study Research Design

The case study research design is suitable for this study because it “entails the detailed and

intensive analysis of a single case” (Bryman, 2012: 66) and when the research questions

purpose is to require a detailed understanding of organisational processes due to the rich

collection of data in context (Cassell & Symon, 2012) (data in this context should primarily

be understood as interview responses in the form of experiences and statements).

Furthermore, this design enables the researcher “to understand some particular problem or

situation in great depth" (Noor, 2008: 1602).

Case studies in organisational settings is likely to be one or more organisations, or groups

and individuals operating within and around the organisation (Bryman, 2012: 66). This

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research design makes it possible for a researcher to closely examine within a specific

context (Zainal, 2007). Case studies seek to explore and examine contemporary real-life

phenomena through detailed contextual analysis of a limited number of events or conditions,

and their relationships (Ibid.: 2). A case study research method is defined by Yin (1984) as

an "inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context; when

the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident; and in which

multiple sources of evidence are used.” (Ibid., 2007: 2 (Quoting: Yin 1984: 23)). The

intention of a case study is not to examine an entire organisation, but rather to focus on a

particular issue, feature or unit of analysis (Noor, 2008). The case study method was chosen

for the purpose of understanding through an examination of the support systems and

processes in the organisation.

The case study research method is a flexible design and multiple of methods may be used,

both quantitative and qualitative (Cassell & Symon, 2012). The flexible design also

influences to the data collecting process as there are a number of ways to obtain data through

this method and combine the different ways of collecting this data (Ibid.). Additionally, the

case study design usually follows the inductive approach (Ibid.). This thesis has both a

deductive and an inductive approach. The deductive approach is seen in the initial stages of

the thesis as the collected literature will form a guideline as to what questions to ask, where

focus should be placed. In the subsequent phases the inductive approach is employed as the

framework for the interview and the analysis process will not be followed strictly, but rather

leave room for emerging interesting developments, which can generate a new understanding

of the situation and reality surrounding it.

There are numerous categories within case studies, Yin (1984) has disclosed three, namely

exploratory, descriptive or explanatory (Zainal, 2007). The choice between the three will

“affect the focus of the research questions and the degree to which the aim of the case is to

analyse particular, unique circumstances or to focus on generalization” (Cassell & Symon,

2012: 326). The exploratory approach seeks to “explore any phenomenon in the data which

acts as an interest to the researcher” (Zainal, 2007: 3). Furthermore, the approach mostly

favours the production of qualitative data, which correlates well with this thesis and the

constructivist standpoint as it explores different viewpoints of the interviewees. This also

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means that the data are not characterized by numbers but trying to develop a deeper

understanding through textual, visual or oral (Zikmund et al. 2013). The exploratory case

study design is being used “to explore those situations in which the intervention being

evaluated has no clear, single set of outcomes” (Baxter & Jack, 2008: 548). A core element

of the case study is to decide whether the study will be a single or multiple case(s) (Cassell

& Symon, 2012). For this research the single case study is chosen because the purpose is to

gain valuable information in one organisation about the research question.

2.2.2 Research Strategy

Primarily there is two types of research strategies to consider for conducting data-collection

and processing: quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative research strategy typically

“emphasizes quantification in the collection and analysis of data” (Bryman, 2012: 36), suited

for examining, for example, a large demographic or similar. The qualitative research

strategy, on the other hand, emphasizes words in the collection and analysis of data in

contrast to the quantitative research strategy (Ibid.). When the purpose of the study is to

obtain knowledge about people's lives, opinions, attitudes and experiences the qualitative

research strategy is more appropriate than the quantitative strategy (Brinkmann &

Tanggaard, 2010), which is why the qualitative research strategy was chosen. As the purpose

of this thesis is to explore different opinions about the support given by Games Corporation

this strategy for gathering data is more suitable than the quantitative. Furthermore, the

qualitative research strategy correlates with the thesis’ philosophical standpoint, social

constructivism, since “the qualitative research strategy is trying to understand the world from

the interviewees' views, express the view that maps to their experiences, uncover their life-

world pre-scientific explanations” (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009: 17). The social constructivist

approach also influences the structure of the interview in that it is a loose structure, and using

probes to follow up interest (Cassell & Symon, 2012).

There are various approaches for gathering data within the qualitative research. The choice

whether to use one or the other method largely depends on who or what is studied and the

aim of the study itself (Tripathy & Tripathy, 2015). Since the intention of this thesis is to

acquire an understanding of how Games Corporation can supports their SIEs, the qualitative

research strategy and the individual in-depth interviews is more appropriate to fulfil the

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purpose of thesis. The in-depth interview is appropriate when the aim is to collect data on

individual’s personal history, perspectives and experiences (Ibid.). It is acknowledged that

it may be a personal and private matter to talk about one’s experience in relation to moving

country, which further reinforced the choice of method to conduct interviews according to

this strategy. The lack of knowledge regarding SIEs and support from the employer also

contributed to the choice of strategy as the qualitative method is focused on the interviewee’s

point of view and preferable when wanting to get in-depth detailed answers.

When structuring the interview primarily three types are available: structured, semi-

structured and unstructured. The semi-structured interview is balanced between the two

other types: it has a clear initial aim, but questions are often open ended and allows the

interviewee to elaborate and the interviewer to pursue areas of interest that were not apparent

before the interview. This means that the semi-structured is preferred when one is wanting

to obtain descriptions and knowledge of interviewees life world in order to interpret the

meaning of the phenomena described (Ibid.). This way of structuring an interview is also

consistent with the social constructivist approach of having a more flexible structure. The

semi-structured interview was chosen as it allows the interviewer to have some kind of

control over where the interview is going and to get the answers needed to answer the

research question. It additionally provides opportunity for the interviewees to tell their

experiences and stories. Compared to the structured interview the semi-structured interview

can “make better use of the knowledge-producing potentials of dialogues by allowing much

more leeway for following up on whatever angles are deemed important by the interviewee”

(Brinkmann, 2013: 21). This way of structuring the interview also lets the interviewer be a

visible participant in the process of producing knowledge, instead of hiding behind a

predefined interview guide (Ibid.). Considering the above and for the aim of this thesis and

to get the answer needed for answering the research question, the individual in-depth semi-

structured interview is more fitting than the alternatives. This approach also correlates well

with the social constructivist approach as it seeks to achieve a grasp of the interviewees'

personal history, experiences and perspective.

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2.2.3 Criticism of the Research Methodology

All research designs have advantages and disadvantages. Three types of arguments against

case study research are put forward by Yin (1984). Yin (1984) expresses that “too many

times, the case study investigator has been sloppy, and has allowed equivocal evidence or

biased views to influence the direction of the findings and conclusions” (Zainal, 2007: 5

(Quoting: Yin 1984: 23)). Additionally, case studies are criticized for providing little basis

for scientific generalization since they use a limited number of subjects, and in some cases

are only performed with one subject (Ibid.). The case study design can be challenging to

manage, the collected documentation can be enormous and the entire process can be

overwhelmingly time consuming (Ibid.).

The most common drawbacks of the qualitative research have been articulated by Bryman

(2012). The first criticism is inherent in the qualitative researcher's ability to be too

"impressionistic and subjective" (Bryman, 2012: 405), meaning that the qualitative findings

is too dependent on the personal relationship between the studied subjects and the researcher,

and what the researcher find significant and important (Ibid.). The qualitative studies can be

difficult to replicate since they do not follow a standard procedure and are like the case

studies dependent on the researchers’ preference (Ibid.). It can furthermore be difficult to

generalize to other settings with a limited number of individuals (Ibid.). Lack of transparency

is the final criticism from Bryman (2012): qualitative researchers often lack transparency

about what they actually did in order to reach the conclusion of the study (Ibid.). Comparable

to the case study research design the qualitative strategy can also be time consuming and the

researcher can be overwhelmed with the collected data (Cassell & Symon, 2012).

2.3 Gathering Data

The process of gathering data will be a systematically planned strategy in order to give the

interviews the highest possible quality. This leads to the knowledge which the interviews

produce of being more solid and the data processing should also be subsequently easier (Kvale

& Brinkmann, 2009). This should help the interviewer in making informed decisions about the

method, based on knowledge of the subject of the investigation, the settlements declining

methodological option, their ethical implication and other election expected consequences for

interview project as a whole (Ibid.).

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2.3.1 Preparing the Interview with the HR Manager

The purpose of the first interview is to get an understanding of how Games Corporation

support its SIEs, what procedure and practices the company have to minimize the obstacles

and help in the situations that the SIEs find themselves in. To accommodate this an interview

with an HR Manager with knowledge about Games Corporation’s HR practices and policies

was conducted. In order to get the desired knowledge about Games Corporation's procedures

and practices the qualitative semi-structured approach was chosen as explained in Chapter

2.2.2 (Research Strategy). This approach required both themes and questions to be prepared

in advance. The interview was divided into four categories/themes: Support prior to arrival,

Support upon arrival, need for improvement and possible need for improvement. These

themes will subsequently be used in the later analyses. An interview guide (Appendix 1) was

prepared with questions based on the theoretical background as they operate as the

preconceptions.

The interview with the HR Manager is characterized as an elite interview because this

particular person has extensive knowledge of company policies and procedures. When

conducting an elite interview one has to be considerate of the asymmetric power relations

that can arise (Ibid.). The interviewer needs to demonstrate a high level of familiarity of the

discussed topics and terminology, but only to the extent where the interviewer do not present

themselves as being more knowledgeable than the interviewee. This means that the questions

will not be elaborated as much as the questions to the Game Advisors as it is acknowledged

that the HR Manager has an understanding of the various terms such as CCT and cross-

cultural adjustment. Furthermore, only one interview with the HR Manager was conducted

since the purpose of the interview was to understand what HR policies and practices there

are in order to support the SIEs. It is of the author's opinion that HR policies and practices

are standardized and do not vary (besides between the hierarchy levels of the company).

2.3.1.1 Scheduling Interview

Prior to the interview the interviewee was informed of the purpose of the interview, timeframe

and topics. The intention of this was primarily to have the interviewee somewhat prepared for

the interview and to lessen explanation time at the interview. The actual questions were not

19

send to the interviewee to prevent that the interviewee had prepared so much that it was not an

interview but a series of statements instead. The interview was conducted in Games

Corporation's own facilities. The opportunity to select the interviewees for this interview was

not granted due to the HR departments busy schedules.

2.3.1.2 The Interview Situation

Before the interview started the HR Manager was given a short introduction of the author,

which included a show appreciation for participating. The HR Manager was further briefed

about the overall purpose of the study, the anonymity for this thesis was reinforced and the

people with access to this thesis was stated. After the interview were conducted a short

discussion and a rounding of the interview took place.

2.3.1.3 Critique of the Interview with HR Manager

The HR Manager that was scheduled to join the interview unfortunately had to cancel. One of

Games Corporation's recruiters, Charlotte, substituted for the HR Managers. Charlotte had just

herself gone through the process of moving to Ireland which make her a satisfactory stand-in

for the other HR Manager since she had first-hand knowledge about what to expect in relation

to what kind of support Games Corporation is giving their new employees as she just went

through it. The support that Games Corporation is giving their SIEs prior to arrival is where

Charlotte has the most accurate knowledge as she is Games Corporation's primary contact for

the SIEs prior to their arrival.

The author must confess the interview did not go as well as planned due to nervousness. In

addition, the quality of the recording was not as great as expected because the planned

meeting room was occupied. This meant that the interview was conducted in the canteen

where there was background music, staff working and employees chatting.

20

2.3.2 Preparing the Interview with Self-Initiated Expatriates: Game Advisors

To answer the research question it is essential to understand what the SIEs themselves had

to say about what obstacles they encountered, what they thought of Games Corporation's

support and what kind of support they could have been provided to minimize the impact of

moving countries. Due to time constraints to carry out this thesis only five interviews with

SIEs was conducted.

The requirements for participating in this study was that the individual had to have applied

for the job themselves i.e. self-initiated (not be recruited), have another nationality than Irish

and must have moved from their home country to Ireland because of the job. Furthermore,

it was essential that the individual was within the first six months of their employment so

that their recollection about the support is clearly remembered. The last requirement for

participating was that the SIE should be positioned in the Game Advisor position.

It would have been preferable to choose the interviewees based on a random selection, but

due to the limited cooperation with the company and the inadequate number of SIEs within

the requirements, the interviewees were selected by snowball sampling without the

assistance of the company. Snowball sampling “is a technique in which the researcher

samples initially a small group of people relevant to the research questions, and these

sampled participants propose other participants, who have had the experience or

characteristics relevant to the research” (Bryman, 2012: 424).

The purpose of the interviews with the SIE is to get an understanding of what challenges

they faced. This primarily revolved around how they experienced the support they received

from the company and what they think Games Corporation could have done to minimize the

obstacles they experienced during their pre- and post-arrival phases. The individual

interview form was chosen because it can be difficult and personal to verbalize one’s

experience with others listening. This is also why the group interview was not selected. In

addition, this method was chosen because it would be most useful to get the interviewees to

express their stories and experiences in their own words instead of indirectly manipulating

the responses through a standardized form of interviewing. The same topics was used

21

throughout the thesis in order to simplify the analysis part. As with the first interview, an

interview guide was crafted (Appendix 3) based on the selected literature, but additional

questions were added based on the interview with HR Manager. The questions prepared for

the Game Advisors was somewhat more elaborate than the questions prepared for the HR

Manager because the Game Advisors might not know the different terms and concepts i.e.

CCT and cross-cultural adjustment.

2.3.2.1 Scheduling Interview

Prior to the interviews a short description of thesis and topics to be investigated was sent to

the SIEs. The intention of this was for the SIE to prepare in regards to answering on how

they felt during and experienced the post-arrival period. The SIE will not be getting the

actual questions prepared for the interview, but the topics/themes was sent to the SIE so that

they prepare a little bit on what the content of the interview would be about. This also allows

the SIE to think about how they felt and what they went through. The intention of this was

for the SIE to prepare in regards to answering on what support they got prior and post-arrival,

what Games Corporation did and what could have been help during these phases. All the

interviews were conducted at either the SIEs or the authors home, as the company would not

allow the author to take up time form the working SIEs.

2.3.2.2 The interview situation

At the beginning of every interview an introduction of the author was given and the purpose of

this thesis. The interviewees were also instructed in the anonymity of their participation. The

handwritten notes were deselected so that the focus was on the interview, questions, the

interviewee and what the interviewees were telling. In the end of every interview were a short

discussion and ending remarks took place.

2.4 Analysis

Qualitative content analysis is the primary method for analysing the data collected in the

interviews. This method is generally employed within qualitative studies to interpret meaning

from the content of text data (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). This method of analysing data can have

several different approaches in regards to coding schemes, origins of codes, and threats to

trustworthiness (Ibid.). As the aim of the thesis is “to validate or extend conceptually a

22

theoretical framework or theory” (Ibid.: 1281) the content was analysed through a “directed”

approach. Directed content analysis is a structured method where data (here initially existing

literature and transcribed interviews later) is coded with themes, topics and key concepts which

provides aim and relevance to further analysis. This means that existing literature will be used

to target the study, and can produce “predictions about the variables of interest or about the

relationships among variables, thus helping to determine the initial coding scheme or

relationships between codes” (Ibid.: 1281). This confirms the choice of this method of analysis,

as it follows the deductive approach, which is employed in this study, as key concepts were

identified in the beginning of the study. Additionally, this method fits well with this thesis since

it is a useful tool to analyse data that is mainly collected through interviews and afterwards

through directed questions concerning the predetermined categories (Ibid.).

Coding of categories and concepts began in the author's review on the current literature on the

subject as part of the deductive intent to find specific importance from a broad spectrum.

Subsequently the data was collected and the data analysis began, where new perspectives were

allowed to emerge from the data. This process of analysing the data entailed organising the data

into the predetermined categories. This was done by re-reading the transcripts and making

handwritten notes in the margin. If some of the data could not be placed within the

predetermined categories it was saved to be determined later, whether this was a new category

or a subcategory of an existing code. All transcripts were read several times to ensure that all

aspects were caught. The discussion of the findings was directed by the theoretical framework

but newly discovered aspects that emerged from the data, which have not been covered in

theoretical framework, was included to further clarify, expand and enrich the theory.

2.5 Reliability and Validity

Reliability refers to “the degree to which a measure of a concept is stable” (Bryman, 2012: 715)

and validity is “a concern with the integrity of the conclusions that are generated from a piece

of research (Bryman, 2012: 717). This study is based on a single case study design with a

limited number of interviewees which therefore means that the results of this study is not

sufficient to generalize upon the total population of SIEs as this study only represent a very

small number of SIE. This thesis should furthermore not be used as guidelines for how all MNC

should support their SIEs as this study merely examines one company and present suggestions

23

for this particular company. This also means that the thesis' results would have the best

application on similar types of positions in Western countries.

It should further be noted that the data collected could also have been affected by the authors

deficiency of experience in interviewing skills. To describe and express ones’ experiences with

the company support given and emotion during this relocation can be very personal, which may

have had an impact on interviewees statements and thus also the quality of the interview. In

addition, there may have been a language barrier since neither interviewer or interviewee grew

up in an English speaking country which further can have had an influence on the quality of the

interview.

It should be noted that Charlotte participates in the interview as the voice of Games

Corporation and as such can be expected to present the company in the best possible way.

This, however, is highly speculative and will not be considered to be affecting the validity

of her statements.

24

f

3 The Theoretical

Core

25

3 The Theoretical Core This chapter contains the thesis’ theoretical framework with primary focus on providing an

understanding of the theories as well as their later use in analyses and discussions. The

presented theoretical framework should also be perceived as the author's first line of

preconceptions and understandings of the subject due to the hermeneutic and iterative approach

to the thesis.

Self-initiated expatriate literature review

As mentioned in the Introduction (Chapter 1), the literature on SIEs is quite limited compared

to the entire sum of literature on expatriation (Froese, 2011). The literature concerning SIEs has

mostly been focused on contrasting the OEs and the SIEs (Jokinen et al., 2001; Biemann &

Andresen, 2010), comparison of the two (Cerdin & Pargneux, 2010), the SIEs career

experiences (Ariss & Özbilgin, 2010; Suutari & Brewster, 2001), and the motives for self-

initiated expatriation (Doherty et al., 2011; Inkson et al. 1997). While these works are both

interesting and comprehensive for their subject they fall short of providing a substantial, useful

theoretical foundation for this thesis' aim and intention. Due to this the author will primarily

utilize literature on OEs on topics, themes and challenges applicable to SIEs. This will,

naturally, include discussions of the importance and appropriateness in incorporating this

theoretical framework upon the SIEs.

Cross-cultural adjustment

Moving abroad can be a wonderful experience and can offer many positive elements to the life

of an expatriate, but it is almost “inevitably going to increase levels of stress and uncertainty”

(Vaiman & Haslberger, 2013: 142). The new country and experiencing a new culture first hand

can lead to “culture shock” (Ibid.). This has led to an extended amount of literature focused on

the importance of cross-cultural adjustment as “an antecedent to a successful expatriate

assignment” (Ibid.: 142). Diverse strategies for improving cross-cultural adjustment, in order

to improve OEs success and performance, has been of particular scholarly consideration. Cross-

cultural adjustment and the adjustment challenges that SIEs encounter has, however, not

received a lot of attention (Ibid. & Froese, 2011).

“Cross-cultural adjustment is the extent to which people are mentally comfortable living outside

their home country” (Caligiuri, 2000: 63) or in other words “the process of adaption to living

26

and working in a foreign culture” (Palthe, 2004: 39). While cultural differences (and adjustment

to a new culture) may best be understood in extremes on a spectrum, such as the differences

between the West, Africa, Asia, or the Middle-East, it is still important to understand that there

can be significant differences in cultures or work-ethics in geographically close locations.

Cultural differences between America and Japan (Lee et al., 2002) may be more immediately

obvious. An expatriate's adjustment may, however, be equally challenged when moving to, for

example, Ireland from Scandinavia as the cultural differences may be less obvious or rooted

deeper. This means that the selection of expatriates, their experiences and statements are not

worth more or less based on this factor.

Studies on adjustment in cross-cultural settings has furthermore shown that an increase in cross-

cultural adjustment leads to increases in job satisfaction and performance as well as reduces

turnover of expatriates (Bhaskar-Shrinivas et al., 2005). On the other hand, poor expatriate

cross-cultural adjustment can consequently result in “inadequate performance, psychological

stress, the negative effects on the expatriates’ families, and the long-term career repercussions

upon repatriation of failed expatriate assignments” (Kraimer et al., 2001: 72). The high cost of

expatriate-projects puts pressure on efficient management (Haslberger et al., 2013), which

means that the expatriate “should adjust to their new environment and become proficient there

as quickly as possible” (Ibid.: 333). Cross-culturally adjusted expatriates "represent a more

integrative approach to a new culture, [they] are open to the host culture, but integrate new

behaviour, norms and roles into the foundation provided by [their] home cultures" (Caligiuri,

2000: 63 (Quoting: Church, 1982: 543)).

Contrasting the OEs and SIEs

As explained in the introduction, the author is of the belief that host companies can support

their SIEs in primarily two phases of the expatriation process, before and after arrival. The

author does, however, acknowledge that company support prior to expatriation of SIEs can be

more difficult to manage than the OE due to the variety in structure and situations in general.

The OE have, in contrast to the SIEs, a job arranged for them by the company before they leave

their parent-organisation, whereas the SIE independently have chosen to seek new challengers

in a foreign country (Howe-Walsh & Schyns, 2010). The pre-departure for OEs have a much

wider range of options for planning and structuring. Besides the new cultural setting, the SIE is

challenged with learning the structure and ethics of an organisation that is completely new to

27

them which makes the company support even more crucial. The SIE is not likely to have a bond

to the new company whereas the OE more easily will have the opportunity to seek information

concerning the new organisational and cultural settings, even prior to departure. The OE’s

assignment will usually be restricted in the perspective of time, between three months to five

years (Ibid.), whereas the time perspective is rarely pre-determined for the SIEs, but the SIEs

on average tend to stay significantly longer than the OEs and return home “under their own

volition in their own timescales” (Vaiman & Haslberger, 2013: 245).

Generally speaking, adjustment of the SIEs should play a significant role for their organization

since the degree of adjustment somewhat predicts performance and completion of the

assignment (Waxin, 2004). The MNC have a crucial role in helping the expatiate adjust to the

new setting and in the success of the expatriate’s journey abroad as it is in their best interest

that the SIE quickly performs well. It should also be noted that the MNC can, in relation to

support of the SIEs, focus on two parts of the process: support prior to arrival and support after

arrival and that the SIEs will experience adjustment challenges which is similar to the

challenges of OEs, but additional difficulties may also be experienced.

3.1 Theory: How to Increase Cross-Cultural Adjustment

To investigate how MNCs provide support to their expatriates and identify areas where

improvement to cross-cultural adjustment the thesis will make use of three primary strategies

to increase adjustment. The upcoming section will operate as the thesis' main theoretical

framework for how Games Corporation can support their SIEs.

3.1.1 Strategy 1: The Theoretical Model of International Adjustment

While OE and SIE are distinctly different situations it seems probable that both types of

expatriates find themselves similarly challenged in terms of adjusting to a new cultural setting.

The theoretical framework by Black et al. (1991) formed the basis of how a host organisation

can aid in the cross-cultural adjustment of SIEs e.g. CCT. The theoretical model of international

adjustment by Black et al. (1991) is “the most influential and often-cited theoretical treatment

of expatriate experiences” (Shrinivas et al., 2005: 257) and has “formed the basis for significant

empirical testing among traditional expatriates, and it has received significant support”

(Vaiman & Haslberger, 2013: 143). This model has incorporated an organisational perspective,

which furthers its relevance for the thesis' intention. Black et al.'s (1991) model distinguishes

28

between cross-cultural adjustment in three forms: general, interaction, and work. General

adjustment primarily refers to how well expatriates cope with living in a foreign country.

Interaction adjustment relates to the expatriates’ determination to create relationships with host

nationals. Work adjustment addresses the way in which the expatriate is fitting into the

workplace (Froese, 2012). Black et al. (1991) recognizes multiple factors, which has an impact

on the cross-cultural adjustment according to the three adjustments phases (See Fig.: 1).

Black et al. (1991) temporally distinguishes between anticipatory and in-country adjustment,

where the first mentioned can have an influence on the second. Additional factors which

influence the adjustment has been proposed by Shaffer et al. (1999) who revised the 1991 model

(See Fig.: 2). They empirically tested and confirmed Black et al.’s (1991) theoretical framework

but also found other factors which had an impact on adjustment. Shaffer et al.’s (1999) model

compared to Black et al.’s (1991) model does not distinguish temporally between the support

given before and after arrival to the expatriates but rather as which factors that has an impact

on the various facets of adjustment. The different factors can influence one, two or all three of

the different adjustment facets as shown in Fig. 1, the numbers indicate which of the different

factors influence the three different facets of adjustments.

Both Black et al. (1991) and Shaffer et al.’s (1999) theoretical frame will be used in order to

conceptualize the ways in which Games Corporation can support and improve the support to

their self-initiated Game Advisors in order to adjust them to the new settings. This study will

not determine whether the SIEs are adjusted or to what extend they are adjusted but will only

examine what role the company can play in adjusting and support the SIEs.

29

Figure 1 – Framework of International adjustment. (Black et al., 1991: 303)

Figure 2- Determinants of adjustment to International Assignment (Shaffer et al., 1991: 559)

30

3.1.1.1 Factors influencing the in-country adjustment

Anticipatory adjustment (Fig. 1) is focused on the development of accurate expectations to the

job, the organisational culture, the host-country nationals, the general culture, and daily life in

the foreign country (Black et al., 1991). The process of adjusting to a new setting can be

significantly less complicated through the aid of anticipatory adjustment. Black et al. (1991)

proposes that previous international experience and CCT might be significant to forming these

expectations. Black et al. (1991) furthermore recognizes the importance of selection criteria

and mechanisms. They argue that it is one of the most important factors and that the individual

will adjust easier to the organisation the more the individual matches the need of the

organisation (Ibid.). As mentioned it can be difficult to manage CCT prior to expatriation, the

host company therefore, in the author's opinion, needs to provide (at the very least) information

concerning the job, the organisational culture, the host-country nationals, the general culture,

and daily life in the foreign country in order to form these accurate expectations.

The positional factors proposed by Shaffer et al. (1999) suggests that “differences in the nature

of work and stress at varying hierarchical and functional positions, should manifest themselves

in differences in the nature of adjustment to international assignment” (Shaffer et al., 1999:

563). The positional factors consists of hierarchy level, positional level and assignment vector

(Shaffer et al., 1999). The adjustment of the expatriate will vary and is contingent on the

expatriate’s hierarchy level, positional level and assignment vector.

3.1.1.2 In-country adjustment

The in-country adjustment (Fig. 1) consists of five different factors. Self-efficacy, which is “the

ability to believe in oneself and one’s ability to deal effectively with the foreign surroundings,

even in the face of great uncertainty” (Black et al., 1991: 307), relation skills which “provide

an important means of increasing the cues individuals receive about what is expected and how

they are doing regarding those expectations” (Ibid.: 308), and perception skills that “provide a

significant means of understanding what is appropriate and inappropriate in the host country

(Ibid.: 308). Job factors are, quite simply, related to “a specific set of tasks and duties performed

by a given individual” (Andreason, 2003: 44). Research has found particularly role conflict,

role novelty, role clarity and role direction to be important factors of work adjustment. Role

clarity and role discretion, will help the expatriate to “adapt their work role and setting to

31

themselves rather than adapting themselves to the situation” (Black et al., 1991: 309) and thus

reduces uncertainty and increase adjustment (Ibid.). Role conflict (defined as "conflicting

signals about what is expected of individuals in a new work setting" (Ibid.: 309)) and role

novelty “the degree to which the current role is different from past roles" (Ibid.: 309), inhibits

expatriate adjustment through an increase in uncertainty in the work place. Significant for the

adjustment is organisational factors which is culture novelty, social support from co-workers

and superiors, and logistical support. Culture novelty is a measurement of the “difference

between the organisational culture of the subsidiary in the foreign country compared to the

organisation in the home country” (Ibid., 310) and the greater difference “the more difficult the

international adjustment would be” (Ibid., 310). Logistical support and the support given by

colleagues and supervisors can facilitate cultural adjustment by reducing uncertainty (Ibid.).

The organisational socialisation factor has an impact on the mode of adjustment and comprises

of socialisation tactics and combined with content (Ibid.). The last factor, non-work factors,

consists of cultural novelty which, like job novelty, is in regards to the international adjustment

perceived to be more difficult the greater the difference between the culture of the host country

and home country (Black et al., 1991). Family adjustment, especially the spouse, is perhaps the

most important non-work factor of international adjustment (Black et al., 1991). The spouses’

inability to adjust to a foreign culture has been found to be number the one reason for expatriate

failure (Ibid.).

The in-country adjustment is more complicated than the anticipatory adjustment because one

must consider both the mode and the degree of adjustment in examining the process of in-

country adjustment (Ibid.), but since this thesis does not examine how adjusted the SIEs are,

will this not be taken into account. In relation to this the organisational socialisation will

therefore not be included in the study. Finally, as this thesis’ aim is to examine how Games

Corporation can support the SIEs in order to enhance cross-cultural adjustment, only the factors

in which the company can offer support will be considered. Factors that do not directly fulfil

this thesis purpose will not directly be investigated but will, of course, be examined if founded

relevant.

32

3.1.2 Strategy 2: Cross-Cultural Training

Cross-Cultural Training (CCT) is one method a host organisation can use to increase adjustment

and prepare the expatriate for foreign assignment (Littrell et al., 2006). CCT have been observed

to have a positive influence on an expat’s adjustability, which leads to better performance

(Ibid.). Cross-Cultural Adjustment (CCA) have simultaneously been seen to have a great effect

in combating early return rates (Ibid.). “Cross-cultural training is common among many

multinational corporations, which provide continuous guidance for expatriates to adjust

gradually to the host country with the host country” (Wang & Tran, 2012: 330).

The intention of CCT is to “increase the likelihood that an expatriate will be successful on a

foreign assignment” (Littrell et al., 2006: 367). CCT should provide the expatriate with

knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for cross-cultural adjustment, effective business

performance, and cross-cultural interactions (Ibid.). The primary goal is to teach the expatriate

how to adapt, since CCT cannot provide solutions for every possible situation that the expatriate

might be confronted with in the host country (Littrell et al., 2006: 368). CCT can be beneficial

before the expat’s departure (pre-departure training) and can continue after the expatriate arrive

in the foreign country (on-site, in-country, or post-arrival training) (Wang & Tran, 2012;

Suutari & Burch, 2001).

3.1.2.1 Pre-departure CCT

Studies show that pre-departure CCT can be crucial support to the expatriate in their adjustment

process (i.e. Black et al.’s (1991) anticipatory adjustment), which is why several different types

of training can be advantageous (Suutari & Burch, 2001). Pre-departure CCT of expatriates

should consist of a series of activities to develop greater cultural awareness, appropriate

behaviours and skills and a positive orientation toward the new culture (Wang & Tran, 2012).

The aim of cross-cultural training is “to enhance the expatriate’s awareness of cultural

differences and sensitivity in dealing with cultural issues, which should speed up the learning

process” (Ibid.: 50) and minimize problems associated with day-to-day cultural adjustment

(Ibid.). The focus of pre-departure training is to provide the expatriate with essential

information about local conditions and raising the expatriate’s awareness of differences in

cultural norms and values (Ibid.).

33

3.1.2.2 In-country CCT

Since no training program can fully replicate the foreign culture (Littrell et al., 2006) and “they

rarely can grasp implicit cultural lessons, which may cause difficulties when they attempt to

apply their new skills in practice” (Wang & Tran, 2012: 330), the training should continue after

the expatriate arrives to the host country. In-country CCT “aims to minimize problems

associated with cultural adjustment” (Wang & Tran, 2012: 330). The in-country CCT also

enables the expatriate to combine the knowledge and information gained in the pre-departure

training with the real experience for living the country. The expatriate might also be more open

to information concerning the host country after arrival, as it is easier to facilitate the acquired

knowledge (Ibid.).

3.1.2.3 Delivery mechanisms of CCT

Littrell et al. (2006) reviewed 25 years of CCT research in their article. Early developers of

CCT theories identified two primary delivery approaches namely, didactic (information giving)

and experiential learning activities. Since then the topic has been given significantly more

attention and has now expanded the delivery approaches from two to six (Littrell et al., 2006).

The choice of what element of CCT should be used depends on the need of the expatriate, the

customization of the content and design methodologies and program quality (Littrell et al.,

2006).

34

Table 1 - Delivery mechanisms of CCT

(Littrell et al., 2006: 370).

It should be noted that the author recognizes that it might be too expensive, impractical or

otherwise impossible to provide the SIEs with pre-departure CCT. That said, it does not seem

unreasonable to adapt some of the CCT elements to the unique situation of SIEs in the pre-

departure phases, without having to be too heavy a post on the budget. This will be further

discussed in Chapter 6 (Discussion). The six CCT delivery approaches/strategies as shown

above (Table: 1), will operate as one of the tree ways in which Games Corporation can support

their SIEs in order to increase the cross-cultural adjustment.

3.1.3 Strategy 3: Perceived Organisational Support (POS)

The third and final theory that will be incorporated in order to answer this thesis research

questions is the theory of Perceived Organisational Support (POS). This model provides

another perspective (financial and career) of how to support an expatriate before and during

expatriation. POS has been shown to have a positive effect on expatriates’ adjustment to the

country and work (Kraimer & Wayne, 2004). POS is defined as “the employees’ global beliefs

that the organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being, organizational

commitment and intentions to remain on the assignment” (Ibid.: 210). In their article: “An

35

Examination of Perceived Organizational Support as a Multidimensional Construct in the

Context of an Expatriate Assignment” (Kraimer & Wayne, 2004) Kraimer & Wayne present

POS as a three dimensional approach, namely: adjustment, career, and financial. The three

POS-dimensions will operate as one of the methods which a MNC can support their expatriate

to increase adjustment.

3.1.3.1 Adjustment POS

Adjustment POS referred to as “the extent to which the organization cares about the employee’s

(including family) adjustment following a job transfer” (Kraimer & Wayne, 2004: 217).

Adjustment POS is developed through the organisation’s policies and practices i.e. anticipatory

and in-country adjustment programs (like Black et al. (1991)), with the focus of making the

transfer and adjustment to the foreign country and workplace easier (Ibid.).

3.1.3.2

3.1.3.3 Career POS

Career POS is defined as “the extent to which the organization cares about the employee’s

career needs” (Kraimer & Wayne, 2004: 218). Career POS is also developed through the

organisation's policies and practises that focus on allowing the expatriate to continuously

receive development opportunities. This could include a mentor program, long-term career

planning and career-oriented performance appraisals (Ibid.).

3.1.3.4 Financial POS

Financial POS is described as “the extent to which the organization cares about the employee’s

financial needs and rewards the employee’s contributions in terms of compensation and

employment benefits” (Kraimer & Wayne, 2004: 218). Financial POS is developed through the

organisation's policies in regards to financial incentives, rewards, and benefits for expatriate

assignments (Ibid.). The expatriates’ perception of financial POS is based on the amount of

assignment bonuses, cost of living allowances, rest and relaxation leave time, and other perks

associated with the expatriate assignment (Ibid.).

36

f

4 Part One: Analysis

– How do Games Corporation support their SIEs?

37

4 Part One: Analysis As the aim of this study is to investigate how Games Corporation can support their SIEs the

insight of what the company currently does in order to support them is essential to provide a

complete overview. The theoretical framework (Chapter 3) suggests that supporting and

adjusting the SIEs will lead them to succeed and perform better. In this chapter the findings

from the qualitative interview with the HR Manager, Charlotte, will be presented as well as

Games Corporation’s support strategies. The chapter present the finding divided into themes:

support prior to arrival, support after arrival, cross-cultural training and 'Retaining the SIEs'.

POS will not be directly handled in this chapter as POS primarily examines to what extent the

employees consider the company as caring for them. This means that the 'Retaining the SIEs'-

section will function as POS' counterpart.

4.1 Analysis of the qualitative interview with HR Manager

The interview was conducted with the HR Manager, Charlotte. Charlotte is the lead recruiter in

the department “Talent Acquisition” at Games Corporation in Galway. Charlotte’s primary task

is to hire internationally for the Game Advisor (GA) position in Galway who provide first-line

technical and in-game support in 17 different languages. 80 percent of the recruitment that

Charlotte handles is for the Game Advisor position. “We do have to do a lot of recruitment

internationally and bring talent from overseas” (Appendix 2).

4.1.1

4.1.2 Support prior to the SIEs arrival

Job Information

To prepare the GAs for the upcoming tasks and challenges Charlotte explains that: “They should

at least have a really good idea as to what the job involves” (Appendix 2), as the recruitment

process consists of four phases. Charlotte further clarifies that during this time the SIEs has had

the chance to ask any questions about the job, Galway, the country and the conditions, “so yeah

they should have a very good idea about the position before they come.” (Appendix 2).

Country and Culture Information

When asked about if Games Corporation provide the SIEs with information regarding culture

and country before they come to Ireland Charlotte articulates that “we provide them with

38

information on Galway” (Appendix 2). This information is delivered by a document that is

given to the SIE before they leave their home country and consist of locations, transportation,

the local area, thing to see and do, etc. Charlotte further explains that the SIE is given some

recommendations in relation to the housing situation, “so we kind of tell them where to look

and where not to look maybe. So we provide them with information about that as well.”

(Appendix 2).

Financial Support

When the SIEs are hired and getting ready to leave their home country Charlotte explains that

Games Corporation has a standard package for everyone which includes economical support

such as payments for flights, excess baggage and other logistical help. The SIEs furthermore

receive a relocation bonus of €750. To handle the relocation, Charlotte explains that Games

Corporation has partnered with an external company to handle the logistical issues with

relocating and that the ”[…] external company is the one that [SIEs] are in contact with […]

it's between them and the relocation manager.” (Appendix 2).

When asked about the current budget for supporting the SIE, Charlotte state that: “there is a

budget and it is definitely controlled” (Appendix 2). The current budget for supporting the SIEs

is furthermore dependent on the individual department and are influenced by many different

factors so “yes, it would be limited” (Appendix 2). The support given by the company is further

dependent on different factors, such as the individual, the person's situation and the local

market. The level of support that Games Corporation provide to the expatriates is differentiated

and depends on the grade/level of employment. The grade varies from 12 to 25, where the grade

12 would be the entry-level, such as an intern, and grade 25 would be a senior VP. “So obviously

the support we provide for the intern is quite different to what we provide for a VP”. (Appendix

2), but “I don’t have an exact number or any like that” (Appendix 2).

Pre-departure Cross-Cultural Training

When asked about if Games Corporation provide the SIEs with CCT before they move to

Ireland, Charlotte articulates “I don’t think it’s possible within the budget” (Appendix 2) and

argues that the recruitment of SIEs from other countries is a heavy post on the budget. She

39

further elaborates that Games Corporation concentrate on the issues associated with the actual

relocation.

Language Training

Games Corporation do not provide the SIEs with language training, Charlotte explains that it is

one of the requirement for getting the position as a Game Advisor “because that is our business

language” (Appendix 2). She further explains that this is due to the multicultural teams they

have made, “so you could be working with six or seven different nationalities, so that is why

English is very important.” (Appendix 2).

4.1.3 Support after the SIEs arrival

Logistical Support

Accommodation

When the SIEs arrive to Galway Charlotte explains that the SIEs has two weeks’ paid

accommodations that can be further extended if needed, Charlotte states that this is necessary

“as we do acknowledge that it is hard to find a place to stay within two weeks” (Appendix 2).

Charlotte continues to explain that Games Corporation also support their SIEs in terms

logistical support and is given an allowance to public transportation due to the location of the

company. The SIE also have the opportunity to borrow a bike to get to and from work. Games

Corporation also help the expatriate establish a bank account within the first days the expatriates

arrive at work.

Health Benefits

Games Corporation offer the SIE life insurance, health insurance and dental care. Charlotte

further explains that promoting health and wellbeing is important and that they have hired

people to give lectures, “To help people get that work/life balance system, that's quite important

here. That people are happy and enjoys very much the mentality of work hard play hard.”

(Appendix 2).

40

Family Support

Charlotte remarks that family support is an especially important factor: “because for us in

recruitment in HR our objective is to get that person on board and make sure that person is

happy and that they stay with us for as long as possible. With that in mind, you will always do

whatever it takes to make sure that that person is happy that they're comfortable in their

surroundings and support them in any way possible.” (Appendix 2). Charlotte further expresses

that she understands that it is, naturally, important for parents to get their children set up but,

“we can't, we don't take responsibility for actually contacting the schools and such but we do

try and support them.” (Appendix 2). Charlotte further articulates that the SIEs rarely have

children of their own and she has not seen any case where an entire SIE family have moved to

Ireland “but in certain cases I know that there is support that we would offer” (Appendix 2).

She explains that Games Corporation provide the SIEs family with a fifty percent coverage of

the same healthcare benefits as the SIE and offer to cover the relocation expenses for the SIEs

family, “so we do try to accommodate them” (Appendix 2).

Job Training

When the new SIE starts at work, they are part of a group from three and up to ten other new

SIEs. Charlotte explains that Games Corporation provide them with a month long “very

structured” (Appendix 2) job training program which entails two weeks of classroom training

where they learn about the company’s policies, practices, procedures and products. Games

Corporation further provide them with soft skills training such as how to communicate with

costumers. During this training period the SIE is constantly assessed and skills are audited

throughout the training periods. Charlotte explains that the SIE are given constant feedback to

see how they are getting on.

After two weeks of classroom training the new SIEs begin the second phase of the training

period called the nesting period. In the nesting period the new SIES are moved to the floor to

sit with the rest of the teams and start taking calls from the costumers. During this period a

trainer is monitoring the SIEs at all times, “so if a new employee is missing out in some area

they are given support to bring them up” (Appendix 2).

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After the training month is up the SIEs “… become fully productive and be integrated one

hundred percent into the team after a month” (Appendix 2). Charlotte further expresses that

“even at that point we would still constantly provide support to them, so it's not that after a

month then we expect him to know everything.” (Appendix 2), which is why the SIEs are given

e-learning tools so that they can train themselves between calls. Games Corporation further

ensures that there is help to get, they have a team, specialized in games, whose job it is to

support the SIEs in their new position, “so there is always support” (Appendix 2).

When asked about if the Games Corporation clearly express the SIEs role within the company,

Charlotte explains: “Yes, all through the training period and after the training period their team

managers will help if needed.” (Appendix 2). She further explains that there should not be

conflicting signals about what is expected of the SIEs.

Supportive Environment

After the job training stages, the new SIEs are teamed up with other SIEs in the same position

but with different levels of experience in relation to the job. This environment of mixing new

and older SIEs is to support each other, so that the older SIEs with more job experiences can

help the newbies with support in relation to giving advice and settling in. Charlotte further

explains that this is a more organic than structured and that Games Corporation tries to facilitate

a supporting environment where the SIEs help each other out.

The GAs have monthly meetings and quarterly reviews with their team manager, where they

go through all of their objectives and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). In this meeting the

team manager and the SIE sit down and analyse if there’s need for improvement and the team

manager give them different tips and guidance to make sure that they reach their objectives.

“So yeah, constant, constant support” (Appendix 2).

In-country Cross-cultural Training

When asked about if the company provides CCT e.g. intercultural workshops or similar when

the SIEs are in Ireland, Charlotte articulates “in terms of specific workshops, no.” (Appendix

2), “No, we don’t provide any formal cross cultural training but do promote cross-cultural

integration through mixed teams and social events” (Appendix 2).

42

Socializing

In relation to socializing at work, Charlotte articulates that the culture of Games Corporation is

not like other companies, Games Corporation's organisational culture is unique because they

have created an environment at work where people can socialize. “A lot of people here, they

come here, they don't know anybody, so the first friends that they make is their colleagues”,

which is why Games Corporation has created an environment where the SIEs can go hang out

and play video games, pool or foosball and “just get to know each other and socialize at work

as well.” (Appendix 2). Charlotte continues to elaborate that Games Corporation has provided

the SIEs with an environment where they can socialize with each other, “and then it’s up to

them” (Appendix 2).

In relation to socializing outside of work, does Charlotte explains that they do support the SIEs

and that they have a team called ‘The Quality of Life team’, that is a voluntary group that

organizes events, social events quite often “and that is our way of making sure people socialize

outside of the office.” (Appendix 2). There is monthly gatherings around the time of the

employees being paid their salary at a bar or pub.

Career development

Charlotte explains that Games Corporation does not have a career plan for their SIEs and do

not provide them with educational programs, “but if they want to develop further within the

company, that’s always a possibility” (Appendix 2), “we strive to retain talent wherever

possible by providing career development a chances for people to grow professional within the

company” (Appendix 2). She explains that the SIEs receive weekly emails with job

opportunities. She clarifies that if the SIE seeks new challenges, “then their team managers

help them, explain what they need to do in order to get this particular job.” (Appendix 2). She

also explains that Games Corporation if you get the job provide the necessary training. “So also

a lot of support there.” (Appendix 2).

4.1.4 Retaining the SIEs

Charlotte acknowledges the importance of support, she states that: “if you want a person to be

happy and to stay and contribute to the company you need to go that extra mile and make sure

that you help them” (Appendix 2). Charlotte highlights that “we never even have issues with

43

people settling in (Appendix 2), she argues that this is because the SIEs always have somebody

from their own country that they can talk to.

The SIEs has a minimum one-year contract with Games Corporation. When asked about what

Games Corporation does in order to make sure that the SIE stay after their contract is expired,

Charlotte explains “that is not something that we are conscious about, but our objective is

always to make sure that our employees stays as long as possible and is happy as long as

possible” (Appendix 2). Charlotte further explains that if the employees are unhappy in their

position then Games Corporation will help in finding other positions and alternatives for them

to move into. The company provide higher educational programs and has a lot of different teams

which makes it possible for the company to help if the employee is unsatisfied. There is also an

on-site HR Manager in touch with the SIEs, “so if we feel that there is a risk that one might

leave or thinking of leaving or might not be happy then plans would be put into place to try and

rectify the situation and make sure that there is a place for that person” (Appendix 2). She

further explains that “as a recruiter it comes hand in hand, you just want that somebody to be

happy and to be here for as long as possible” (Appendix 2).

In relation to this when asked about what she, her self would like to do in order to make sure

that the employees stay as long as possible she answered, “Ensuring employees are happy and

fulfilled in their position in order to make sure they stay with us as long as possible is at the

centre of every decision made by management and HR or alike” (Appendix 2). She further

explains that the company regularly conducts Team Health Survey in order to assess the

employee’s morale and identify areas where Games Corporation can improve.

4.1.5 Opportunity for improvement

When asked about if Charlotte see any opportunities for improvement in the support that Games

Corporation provides to their SIEs; Charlotte explains that “I think there's definitely always

ways that we can improve, for sure, and the market changes so often as well that you need to

kind of be up to date” (Appendix 2). Charlotte further articulates that building a relationship is

important and that Games Corporation should regularly adjust their support strategies based on

the SIEs experiences.

44

Charlotte admits that Games Corporation could provide additional support to their SIEs in

regards to a temporary accommodation, due to the difficult rental property market in Galway

(primarily due to several educational institutions in the area). She explains, however, that this

task would be quite logistically demanding meaning that Games Corporations would need to

hire a full-time employee to oversee this. This option has not been explored fully, though, and

not something that is factored in to the current budget.

Charlotte acknowledges that it is a stressful time for the SIEs due to the new job and explains

that Games Corporation forget that at times. Charlotte believes that the HR Managers need to

be more forthcoming since the SIEs do not contact them if they have problems, “but you don’t

always have the time to do that, to go the extra mile. It’s sad to say, but it is not the top of our

priority’s unfortunately” (Appendix 2).

4.2 Summary – How do Games Corporation support their SIEs?

The interview with Games Corporation's representative, Charlotte, showed that several of the

factors that have been deemed especially important for SIEs are covered by Games Corporation.

Charlotte state that the new hires have had ample opportunity to enquire about any information

about the job prior to arriving in Ireland. This shows that Games Corporation devotes resources

to ensure their new employees form accurate expectations on the new life. Games Corporation

also provides information on the location to the extent that they feel is relevant through

information leaflets. Logistical support was also found to be a large part of the support that

Games Corporation provides, mainly in the form of financial aids, transportation and temporary

housing. Charlotte stated that Games Corporation provides no form for pre-departure training,

or any type of CCT for that matter, due to budget considerations.

Charlotte states that Games Corporation attempts to provide as much social

support as possible after the SIEs have arrived. Both supervisors and team-mates with a higher

level of seniority become contact- and aid points for the new employees. This is, however,

primarily focused around work-related issues and Games Corporation do not provide extensive

adjustment-support outside of the work-place, besides events coordinated by the Quality of

Life-team every few months.

Charlotte also explains that Games Corporation provides a multitude of

opportunities for the SIEs to develop their career and move to new positions within the

45

organization. The responsibility for pursuing these are completely up to the employees'

themselves, though.

46

5 Part Two: Analysis

– How do the SIEs experience support from Games Corporation?

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5 Part Two: Analysis The previous chapter examined how well the, theoretically, significantly important areas of

SIE-support correlate to the actual support provided by Games Corporation. The examination

showed that logistical support, forming accurate expectations and post-arrival job-training

were, among others, covered well by Games Corporation, according to Charlotte. Any form of

CCT and pro-active initiatives from Games Corporation in regards to career development did,

however, display room for improvement. While these findings are indicative of the relative

truth that the thesis aims to discover, the findings have an essential need to be cross-referenced

and compared to how Games Corporation’s support is experienced by the receivers of it. This

chapter explores how the support is experienced by Games Corporation’s Game Advisor SIEs

through their respective qualitative interviews. This chapter, in turn, also seeks to answer the

thesis’ second sub-question (How do the SIEs experience the support from Games

Corporation?).

5.1 Analysis of the qualitative interview with SIEs

This sub-chapter primarily contains a review and discussion of the qualitative interviews with

the employees of Games Corporation, the Game Advisors. The review will follow the

thematised ordering as the previous: support prior to arrival, after arrival, cross-cultural training

and POS. The interviewees have been named A-E in order to maintain their anonymity and full

transcripts can be found in the appendices.

5.1.1 Support prior to the SIEs arrival

Job information

The SIEs initially go through a four-step hiring phase. During these phases the SIEs are

provided with information on what to expect concerning their tasks and the job in general. Three

of the five interviewees perceive the information they got from Games Corporation to be

sufficient, Interviewee C articulates: “How much is there really to know […] it’s customer

service, it’s not really difficult” (Appendix 6). Interviewee D says that: “About the job, I think

[Games Corporation] put out the correct amount information actually” (Appendix 7).

Interviewee A expresses: “I can’t really say if they could have provided more information”

(Appendix 4), but he would have wanted some actual examples of what he was supposed to on

a daily basis as well as some information about “how locked into our schedules” (Appendix 4)

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the SIEs are. Interviewee B and E didn’t feel that the information was sufficient, Interviewee E

articulates: “Actually not, the only information I got was that I should pick up the phone and

support games” (Appendix 8). Interviewee B “was not a hundred percent sure” (Appendix 5)

about what the job was indicating that either the information provided or how it was

communicated was lacking.

Country and Culture Information

When the SIEs were asked about the information they got concerning the country and culture,

there is a clear consensus. “None, zero” (Appendix 7), “Nothing. Absolutely nothing”

(Appendix 6), “Games Corporation didn’t really provide that much information” (Appendix

4), “it was not extensive information” (Appendix 5), “[Games Corporation] didn’t tell me much

about Ireland per say” (Appendix 8). Each of the five interviewees felt that the information

about the country and culture was not sufficient and all expressed a desire for more information.

Interviewee D explains: “I remember the first day was kind of a cultural twist between being

[my nationality] and going to Ireland […] so it would have been nice to have better information

about Ireland in general” (Appendix 7). Interviewee E agrees with Interviewee D’s statement

and says: “Yes, more information about how it is to live in Ireland” (Appendix 8).

The document about Galway provided by Games Corporation was not perceived as useful by

any of the interviewees. Interviewee C expresses that: “[Games Corporation] could just have

given me a tourist map over the city. I didn’t find that paper useful at all” (Appendix 6).

Interviewee A states: “It would have been a very short paper” (Appendix 4), he further

articulates his concern with locating the company in Galway: “because there's not that much to

do.” (Appendix 4).

Financial Support

The financial support provided by Games Corporation in relation to the relocation was

perceived as satisfying by three of the interviewees. Interviewee A expresses: “That was pretty

good. I liked that. They provided, like, I guess, everything that I need, practically, to move here”

(Appendix 4). Interviewee D did not expect to get too much so he was positively surprised.

Interviewee E states: “that was pretty awesome to get that money” (Appendix 7). Interviewee

C believes that the relocation bonus, the paid flight, extra baggage and the bus ticket was okay,

but states that: “it’s not cheap to move” (Appendix 6). Interviewee B is the only SIE who was

49

not satisfied, he explains that: “when [Games Corporation] hired us there was no support

whatsoever” (Appendix 5). He further illustrates his belief that Games Corporation was not

supposed to pay for the flight ticket, bus and hotel. Interviewee B arranged the flight by himself

and only when he sent a mail asking for financial support, Games Corporation provided it. The

relocation bonus of 750 euros was not enough according to Interviewee B.

Language Training

None of the SIEs found it necessary for Games Corporation to provide the SIEs with language

training. Interviewee D believes that: “if you are applying for a job abroad, you should have

the basic knowledge of English” (Appendix 7) and Interviewee A supports this position, he

articulates: “I think that it should be expected by anyone who wants to move and work

internationally that you at least have a level of English that is proficient enough to talk to

everybody.” (Appendix 4).


Logistical Support

Accommodation

When the SIEs arrived in Galway they were all provided with hotel accommodations for two

weeks except Interviewee B. Interviewee B was also the only one who was not satisfied with

the support provided by Games Corporation in relation to the one week of hotel

accommodation. He explains that: “I think that it’s not enough for someone who’s moving, with

one week of living in the hotel with the house market here in Galway is not that big. So if you

want to search for a house it's a little bit difficult, the prices are also high and so in that sense

I think they could provide a little bit more.” (Appendix 5). The other four interviewees were

satisfied with the hotel support, but similar to Interviewee B, all of them expressed a need for

more support in relation to find a permanent housing arrangement. Interviewee A and E clearly

state that they expected Games Corporation to be more hands-on in regards to helping them

find permanent accommodations. Interviewee A says: “Well [Games Corporation] could have

done more […] I think that would be a good idea for them to make sure that the new employees

find a place that they like to live in because it's really important, at least for me. When you

move to a new country that you actually have a place to call your home for I don't know how

50

long, years maybe. A place that you feel comfortable and you think it's nice and you feel safe

and secure. So it's really important that you find one of these places as soon as possible.”

(Appendix 4). He further show gratitude towards Games Corporation because they provided

him with additional support by extending the hotel period.

Interviewee B, C and D all found a co-worker that they could move in with together to find a

permanent housing arrangement, but they do acknowledge that it is hard to find a place to live

in Galway. Interviewee B explains that his brother had just found a place with another from

work where he could move into, so even though he found a place relatively fast he still states

that “They could provide for instance; I think they could provide help in regards to finding a

home […] I think that they failed here.” (Appendix 5).

Based on the interviewee statements, four of five found the hotel accommodation satisfying,

but the general opinion about support given by Games Corporation in relation to find permanent

housing clearly indicates a need for more support.

When the SIEs began Games Corporation arranged for a banker to come to the office and set

up the SIEs in with bank account and an Irish social security number. The interviewees were

all satisfied with support given by Games Corporation of getting set up, Interviewee C explains:

“when you got here, you don’t have to think about bank account or PBS number and all that.

They just sort it out for you. So that was really easy.” (Appendix 6). Interviewee D explains

that he did not get information about what kind of support Games Corporation provides, so he

was positively surprised. Interviewee E were surprised over the logistical support, he states:

“they were actually pretty good at that, very helpful. They helped with the bank stuff and P.B.S.

number and stuff like that.” (Appendix 8).

Health Benefits

The SIEs are provided with healthcare benefits such as health insurance and dental care by

Games Corporation. The interviewed SIEs has the overall same understanding, that Games

Corporation has provided enough support in this area. Some of the interviewees were pleasantly

surprised by all the different benefits that Games Corporation has supported them with.

51

Family Support

The exact amount of family support provided by Games Corporation was not properly

expressed in the interview with the HR Manager. Games Corporation try to accommodate the

SIE families and give them a fifty percent coverage of the same healthcare benefits as the SIEs.

None of the interviewees brought the partner or families which mean that they did not have any

input on how well the support Games Corporation provided had been or if there is any need for

improvement. That Games Corporation acknowledge that this type of support may be needed

is, however, a good indication of their intentions.

Job Training

In the early stages of the SIEs’ arrival, Games Corporation provided them with a month long

structured job training period. According to the interviewees the training was mostly

theoretical. Interviewee B says that: “The training itself, it is what it is. Theoretically, you learn

the tools.” (Appendix 5). Additionally, interviewee B felt the SIEs were left by themselves in

the job training. The theoretical training was furthermore perceived by the interviewees as

boring, as Interviewee C explains: “it was a little bit boring. Just sitting and listening to the

trainer explain what you can do in the different applications.” (Appendix 6). The biggest

concern recognized by the interviewees about the job training, was as interviewee E states:

“You got a lot of information concerning the applications you need in your job but you didn’t

learn how to use them.” (Appendix 8). All the other interviewees have the same understanding

as interviewee E. All five interviewees would have wanted more practical training, interviewee

A explains that: “it was fine to like know the theoretical things […], but you cannot remember

where it was because you just got introduced to a thousand things.” (Appendix 4). Interviewee

D agrees with Interviewee A and states that: “we didn't really get enough practical usage of the

systems.” (Appendix 7). More practical training should according to Interviewee E make the

SIEs feel more secure when talking to the customers, he further expresses his astonishment

about Games Corporation’s priorities in relation to providing the employees with free games,

ice cream and candy, and not providing them with proper job training. “I think sometimes that

they spend their time and money on wrong things when they should have given people better

training.” (Appendix 8). All but one statement is consistent by the SIEs, when asked about if

the SIEs believed that their role within the company was clearly expressed. Everyone but

interviewee E, believe that their role within Games Corporation was clearly expressed.

52

Interviewee E is the only SIE showing uncertainty in his answer: “Kind of. Kind of, yeah. But I

think that they explained a lot less than what I actually do” (Appendix 8), he further explains

that: “I don't think I was fairly explained of what I'm actually going to do in certain situations.”

(Appendix 8).

When asked about if the SIEs have the power or right to make decision in relation to their job,

it seemed divided. Interviewee C explains: “In customer care yeah sure, but everything here is

very planned” (Appendix 6). Interviewee B somewhat concurs with this statement; he explains

that in most cases “you are able to make a decision but there is a set of protocols you have to

follow to do some sorts of things” (Appendix 5). Interviewee A explains that: “we have some

autonomy. It's very little, but at least we have some […] mostly we have to like follow a set of

set of processes that we like we have to follow these like do A to B to C. […] But as you get into

it you find out that there are some loopholes in these processes that allows you to actually make

judgment calls” (Appendix 4). Interviewee D also talks about the procedures but explains:

“Well it's kind of strict procedures […] we have our processes, which we have to follow, but of

course if needed, we can break those processes if proper approvals are given from managers.

So of course we can think outside the box but mainly following the process.” (Appendix 7).

Interviewee E is the only SIE who feel that there is no decision making power, he explains: “it

feels like everybody has to say the same thing to the customer and it’s like the chain of command

[…] So that’s a bit old fashion I would say” (Appendix 8).

All except for one SIE have felt that there has been given conflicting signal by Games

Corporation when asked directly. Interviewee D explains that: “Actually I think they have been

pretty straightforward about my role from day one basically or even back to back to the

interview parts. So I would say no, it's been straightforward all the time.” (Appendix 7).

Interviewee A which is the only one who have felt that the signal was conflicting said that:

“During the interviews [Games Corporation] presented the company as a fun environment to

work in and when you actually arrived it was very strict with the procedure and breaks”

(Appendix 4).

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Job Expectations

The SIEs expectations concerning the job compared to the reality was somewhat perceived

differently. Interviewee E explains that his expectations after have started working was different

from the reality: “I expected to just sit alone in a box and just talk to customers” (Appendix 8).

Even tough interviewee E was positively surprised over how good the physical environment

was he still would have wanted some pictures and more information about the new job

arrangements. Interviewee B also believe that the expectations about the job compared to the

reality, was different and articulates that he also would have wanted some information about

the organisational environment at Games Corporation. Interviewee A explains that he felt that

Games Corporation expected a lot more than he was told at the initial hiring phase. He tells that

Games Corporation has a really strict break schedule, which the employees must adhere to,

down to the second. Interviewee C explains that it fulfilled his expectations, and states: “It was,

what it was.” (Appendix 6). Interviewee D concurs and states: “Was referred correct”

(Appendix 7), he further articulates that: “Already during the interview, they told me exactly

what they were going to expect.” (Appendix 7).

Social support

After the job training phase, the SIEs are mixed based on level of experience in regards to the

job and nationality. Games Corporation has mixed employees based on level of experience in

order for the SIEs to be able to support each other. The majority of the interviewees have

received help from their colleagues, interviewee C articulates: “I used my colleagues a lot in

the beginning, not so much anymore.” (Appendix 6). Interviewee B and E concurs with this

statement: “Yes, they helped me much in you know how to handle the customers” (Appendix 5)

and: “Yes, they were very helpful whenever I needed it or still need it” (Appendix 8). The only

one who does not totally agree is interviewee A, he articulates that he has gotten some help

from colleagues: “But sometimes it’s difficult because they also have to their job.” (Appendix

4).

When asked about the support given by the manager in relation to the job, interviewee A explain

that the managers’ desk is right beside him: “So it makes more sense to ask him than the other

colleagues.” (Appendix 4). The interviewees have all used their managers when in need of

help. The SIEs further expresses that they believe that the environment in Games Corporation

54

is supportive when seeking help. In relation to settling in, the environment is also perceived as

overall supportive by the interviewees, even though they have not sought or needed help from

their managers and colleagues. Interviewee A explains: “No, we actually don’t talk that much

about it” (Appendix 4) and interviewee B explain that he mostly talks with the guys from his

country and his brother.

The SIEs and their team manager furthermore has a monthly and quarterly meeting with their

team manager where they together review the SIEs objectives and KPI’s. This meeting should

moreover support the SIEs and help them improve their performance based on the team

manager’s guidance. Interviewee A, C and E express that the monthly and quarterly meeting

are very helpful and supportive, Interviewee A further stresses that: “Sometimes my team

manager goes a little too much up in smaller issues” (Appendix 4). Interviewee B and D are

the only two of the five who think that the monthly and quarterly meetings are too much.

Interviewee B explains: “That it is a bit too much, but of course are they helpful” (Appendix 5)

and Interviewee D clearly states that: “Sometimes I believe it’s a waste of time, both for me and

my team manager” (Appendix 7). None of the five interviewees would want more support in

relation to the monthly and quarterly meeting, when asked about if the SIEs think that it is

enough support. Interviewee A, C and E is satisfied with the amount of meeting with their team

manager. Interview B and D thinks that it is too much and D thinks that: “Quarterly meeting is

fine” (Appendix 7).

In-country Cross-cultural Training

CCT is not provided by Games Corporation when the SIEs arrive in Galway, as Charlotte stated

does Games Corporation promote cultural integration through mixed teams and social events.

When the SIEs were asked if they would have wanted some activities where they could have

learned about the Irish culture and the differences between their culture and the Irish, all but

one SIEs expressed that this would have been preferred. Interviewee B states: “Yeah that would

be nice […] It’s not something that I cannot understand myself. You come, you learn, you see,

in that sense you see how the culture is, but if they could provide it would be much better for

you to get adopted.” (Appendix 5). Interviewee A explains that he would go “if [Games

Corporation] would actually give us some time to do it and [Games Corporation] would actually

sponsor the resources to do it” (Appendix 4). Interviewee E stresses that: “It would be a good

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way to start, if [Games Corporation] were giving me the information that I needed” (Appendix

8). The only SIE, who states that he might not have preferred CCT is Interviewee D. He explains

that: “I wouldn’t see me using it but might be useful for some people […] Yeah absolutely if you

don't want to be surprised. […] To be honest it’s always pretty easy to find out with Google,

but surely it could actually be nice […] It would probably be cool.” (Appendix 7).

Social Environment

“[Games Corporation] is not like other companies, the organisational culture at [Games

Corporation] is unique.” according to Charlotte (Appendix 2). Games Corporation has provided

the SIEs with a creative environment at work where the employees can socialize with each other

at work. Because most of the employees are new to the country and organisation, Games

Corporation has provided the employees with ‘hangout’ places where the employees can go

play video games, pool or foosball. One of five of the SIEs use the ‘hangout’ places that Games

Corporation has provided for him. Interviewee B explains that he sometimes plays these games

in the breaks and during lunch. Three of the interviewees explains that the reason why they

don’t use it, is due to the very structured break schedules. Interviewee E states “No, not really

[…] because I don’t have anyone to play with […] we don’t have breaks together so I don’t

play” (Appendix 8). Interviewee A and C agrees with Interviewee E. Interviewee C explains

“Not really because it is not like you can choose your own break time, everything is scheduled.”

(Appendix 6) and Interviewee A further articulates that: “We can sit for like twenty thirty

minutes without getting a call where you're just sitting and waiting and waiting […] You might

as well just get up and go do something” (Appendix 4). Interviewee D does not use the hangout

places because he does not really enjoy it. Inconsistent with the other interviewees, Interviewee

D believes that: “[Games Corporation] is kind of a laid back place where you can do a lot of

other fun stuff during the work time” (Appendix 7).

When asked about how the SIEs socialize at work, Interviewee A states: “Well I think most of

us we stand for it ourselves most of the time.” (Appendix 4). Interviewee A and C further

disclose that they mostly socialize with the employees from their own country. In contrast

Interviewee D explains that he the least socializes with the people from his country. “I moved

here to meet people from other cultures, other languages and other countries, to be friends with

them instead of hanging with the good old [nationality].” (Appendix 7).

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Games Corporation do, besides the hangout places, have a voluntary group called the 'Quality

of Life'-team that organizes events outside of work. Interviewee B have not participated yet but

he articulates that: “It's good that they have a team providing that type of support” (Appendix

5), he further explains that he wants to see Games Corporation doing more social activities and

more often. Interviewee A do sometimes participate and agrees with Interviewee B’s statement

that Games Corporation should provide more social activities he explains that: “There aren’t

that many actual gatherings” (Appendix 4). Interviewee C and D explains that the pay-day

drinks do not match their interests. Interviewee E explain that he participates in the events from

time to time.

When asked about if the interviewees would have preferred that Games Corporation provided

more social activities all of the interviewees agrees. All of them favours more social activities,

Interviewee E says that: “It doesn’t have to be a big thing, but something where there is

something for everybody” (Appendix 8). Some of the interviewees also express a need for some

more physical activities like Interviewee B explains: “We sit down a lot during the day, so some

physical activities are needed” (Appendix 5).

Perception of Organisational Support

Financial Support

The financial support given to the SIEs during their relocation by Games Corporation is overall

perceived as adequate by the interviewees. Interviewee A explains that: “I think that Games

Corporation has generally been generous in providing financial aid both during relocation, but

also afterwards” (Appendix 4). Interviewee D is the only one, who states that: “I think the

financial was good, but not generous.” (Appendix 7).

The salary provided to the SIE were all perceived as somewhat reasonable. Interviewee A states

that the financial support is fair considered the amount for work he does, compared to other

language groups. He further articulates that: “It’s probably the money I have worked the least

for in all my life” (Appendix 4). Interviewee B, D and E concurs. Interviewee C is the only SIE

who perceived the salary as great and articulates that one can live comfortably with the salary

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provided by Games Corporation. The financial support that Games Corporation has provided

the SIEs with is overall perceived as Games Corporation taking good care of them financially

in relation to the relocation bonus and salary.

Career development

Games Corporation exclusively provide career development plans to employees who actively

seek out moving to another position in the organization as specified by Charlotte in the

interview. When asked about whether the SIE perceived Games Corporation as taking an

interest in their career, there was a mixed response. Interviewee B explains that: “I'm new to

the company, the talks I’ve had with my team manager makes me think so, but it is still early to

know for sure.” (Appendix 5). Interviewee E do, similarly to Interviewee B, not know since he

has not actively been seeking to further his career at Games Corporation: “But I have heard that

people are getting support from the managers, if they want to change jobs.” (Appendix 8).

Interviewee D explains that he can’t complain since there are opportunities within the company,

but he also feels like the opportunities are limited because of language barriers. Interviewee A

explains that Games Corporation “somewhat” (Appendix 4) takes an interest to his career. He

further elaborates that: “They definitely do not block you from growing professionally, but a lot

of it is up to yourself. They don’t come to you specifically with job offers when you are already

here, you have to find them for yourself.” (Appendix 4). He further explains that he doesn’t

think that the company cares: “But definitely the people that you talk to on a daily basis do”

(Appendix 4). Interviewee C is the only one who does not believe that Games Corporation takes

an interest and, like Interviewee A, believes that: “Growth is only encouraged, if you yourself

bring it up” (Appendix 6).

Interviewee A, C and E all believe that Games Corporation considers their goals when making

decisions about their career. Interviewee A explains “Definitely. My team manager has been

very hands-on with finding out how I can get the courses and opportunities that he knows would

benefit my career path.” (Appendix 4). Interviewee B and E states that: “It’s too early for me

to judge, but from what I’ve seen so far it appears they do to some extent” (Appendix 5) and:

“I haven’t been with the company for that long to know for sure, but it seems like they want you

to keep giving feedback about your goals and discuss them with your manager” (Appendix 8).

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Interviewee B further elaborates that there should be more clear communication of the options

for advancement: “The way you progress in the company should be clearer” (Appendix 5).

Games Corporation informs the SIEs about what career opportunities they have within Games

Corporation. This is primarily emailed directly to everyone for positions that needs to be filled

urgently. It is also possible to set up search parameters on Games Corporation’s international

job site where the SIEs can write their interest and preferences. Employees then receive a

weekly email with information about currently open positions that match their interests. Only

one of the interviewees is not satisfied with this arrangement as interviewee C explains

“sometimes you don’t know what the job is because the job description is almost non-existent,

which makes it slightly confusing.” (Appendix 6). All the other interviewee feels that they get

informed about what opportunities they have.

Adjustment Support

The SIE were asked if they thought that Games Corporation has provided them with sufficient

opportunities to ease the transition to the foreign country. Here there was no general consensus.

Interviewee C and D did not have any complaints; interviewee C believed that Games

Corporation help with a lot of practical issues and interviewee D was positively surprised about

how much they actually did. Interviewee A expresses that: “Financially, yeah. On many other

points, not so much.” (Appendix 4). He further explains that he wanted more help in finding a

permanent accommodation: “They simply gave me a website address and said look here”

(Appendix 4). In addition, interviewee A explains that he would have wanted more information

about “Things that you only realize you need help with when you’re actually here.” (Appendix

4). Interviewee B agrees with interviewee A’s statement: “I believe more should have been

offered, mainly on the accommodation front, and more so as Galway is such a difficult place to

find a home.” (Appendix 4). Interviewee E articulates: “No, not really, you know we got the

money and then we had to find out most stuff by ourselves.” (Appendix 8).

When asked about if the SIEs believe that help is available within Games Corporation whenever

you have questions or concerns about living in a foreign country, the answers vary. Interviewee

B and D have no complaints in this regard. Interviewee B states that: “[Games Corporation] do

provide help in that regard, and appear approachable as to provide information as well”

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(Appendix 5). Interviewee C expresses that: “I would expect it if I asked for help, had questions

or concerns from a team manager or the team, but I haven’t been in that situation so I actually

don’t know, so I can’t be certain” (Appendix 6). Interviewee A expresses that: “[Games

Corporation] was really good at pointing me in the direction of who to contact, what and how

things legally worked and such” (Appendix 4). He further articulates that: “I could feel they

didn’t want to get directly involved, but that they still would have if it became absolutely

necessary” (Appendix 4). Interviewee E is the only one who does not perceive Games

Corporation has helpful during the transition to a foreign country. He explains that: “The

information you get as standard is very bad. You don’t really get information on how the office

looks like or how it is to live in Ireland. So no, I don’t think that they actually care or will help

you” (Appendix 8).

5.2 Summary – How do the SIEs experience the support from Games

Corporation?

The SIEs are in agreement with several of the factors being well supported by Games

Corporation. They generally found the information on the job to be fulfilling, but the provided

information on the culture, location and country was experienced as severely lacking. Most of

the interviewees were also pleasantly surprised by the amount of logistical support that Games

Corporation provided, but all expressed a need for more help in regards to finding permanent

accommodations. This also covers the POS – Financial aspect as the SIEs found monetary-aid

to be sufficient. None of the SIEs found language training to be of any importance as the general

consensus were that having an advanced level of English were just a given in order to seek

professional opportunities in another country than their own.

The theoretical part of the job training was also found to be sufficient, but several

of the interviewees expressed a clear need for more hand-on, practical experience with the

systems and programs: they were confident in what they should do, but not how to do it. Support

in the work-environment, as in supervisors and co-workers with higher seniority-levels, were

also found to be adequate in regards to work-related issues. Strict scheduling was one of the

primary reasons for the SIEs to express room for improvement in the social environments at

the work-place. More social events outside of work were sought after, with a special emphasis

on physical activities.

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It cannot be determined how well the interviewees believe that Games

Corporation cares for the career development (POS – Career). This was primarily because the

SIEs have not yet had the opportunity to personally seek out new positions due to the short time

they have been employed by Games Corporation. There was a general agreement, however,

that Games Corporation seemed to be supportive in the event that they would need help in

furthering their career.

All of the SIEs were pleasantly surprised when explained the concepts and

advantages of CCT. They expressed great interest in how this would work practically and how

they felt that this would both be interesting and beneficial for Games Corporation to incorporate

into their training.

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6 Part Three: Discussion

– How can Games Corporation Support their SIEs in order to Increase

Cross-Cultural Adjustment?

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6 Part Three: Discussion In this chapter a discussion of the empirical findings alongside with this thesis’ theoretical

framework will be presented in order to evaluate the opportunities Games Corporation has for

expanding their support program to increase the cross-cultural adjustment of the SIEs. The first

analysis (Chapter 4) contributed to the understanding of what support policies and practices

Games Corporation currently has and the seconds analysis (chapter five) contributed to the

understanding of how this support was perceived by the SIEs and where more support is needed.

The upcoming discussion will be divided accordingly to the themes in the two analyses: support

prior to and after arrival.

6.1 Discussion of the findings

6.1.1 Support prior to the arrival

The theoretical framework revealed that forming accurate expectations are directly related to

an increase of the in-country adjustment for an expatriate pursuing an international career.

Accurate expectations can be formed by giving the expatriate pre-departure CCT and by the

expatriate having previous international experience (Black et al., 1991). Black et al. (1991) state

that the expatriate will adjust better and experience less uncertainty the more accurate

expectations the individual has formed. Negative reactions, surprises, and culture shock

experienced by the individual are closely related to how good their anticipatory adjustment is;

exhibiting appropriate behaviour and attitude have a significant effect on how smooth their

adjustment will be. As argued in the theoretical framework, it may be that the company

concerned does not have the requisite budget or it may not be possible to manage pre-departure

CCT due to the situation of the SIEs. This was confirmed by the HR Manager at Games

Corporation that they do not provide pre-departure CCT due to a limited budget. This led to the

focus on forming accurate expectations through information giving about the new job and the

cultural settings provided to the SIEs by Games Corporation. When comparing the HR

Manager’s statement on what Games Corporation offers in relation to information, paired with

the SIEs’ own statements, there are some opportunities for expansion. The interview responses

show that Games Corporation do provide an adequate amount of information about the job tasks

and the job in general. It seems acceptable to assume that an SIE beginning a new job for a

company they have not worked with before in a country they have not lived in before will have

a host of questions which they do not know is relevant to ask before they have arrived. This

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means that the SIE may be missing vital information about the job, country or culture that is

not planned to be provided since Games Corporation is not aware of their relevance.

The information concerning the new cultural setting was furthermore perceived as non-existent

by the SIEs, which according to Black et al. (1991) could create uncertainty and thus influence

the adjustment of the SIEs. The document about Galway is comparable to the informal briefings

in didactic training of CCT. This was however not perceived as especially helpful by the

interviewees which means that Games Corporation should put more effort in providing their

SIEs with sufficient information about the country and culture or at least tailor the information

to be as relevant as possible.

The empirical findings showed that Games Corporation provide their SIEs with financial

support, such as plane and bus ticket, extra baggage and a monetary relocation bonus. This was

perceived by four of the SIEs as satisfying. It should be noted that the author suspects that there

was some sort of miscommunication between Games Corporation and the fifth, unsatisfied,

interviewee who felt the support was insufficient. Financial support has not been directly

recognized in the literature, but it should be noted as an important means of support since it can

help with many problems that SIEs are confronted with associated relocating such as permanent

accommodations. This type of financial support can be approximated to POS – Financial. It is,

however, important to note that the actual financial support and the perception of it differs: the

actual financial support revolves around the concrete support given (and if it is realistically

enough) while POS – Financial is focused on the SIEs perception of it. This means that there

could still arise situations where the actual financial support is far too inferior based on cost-

of-transportation to a specific location, but the POS – Financial aspect is still positive as the

employees are simply content with any form of support, even inferior support. The overall level

of actual financial support was perceived as satisfying by the SIEs, which indicate that Games

Corporation support in this area is adequate and thus more support is not presently needed.

The literature notices language fluency and language training as an element that influences the

adjustment. Games Corporation do not provide their SIEs with language training nor do the

SIEs believe that language training is necessary. It should be noted that Games Corporation’s

business language is English as well as the majority of Ireland, where this department of Games

Corporation is based, which means that language training would be far less relevant to provide

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compared to locations where either the business- or local language may be far less common

than English. The findings showed that there is currently no need to expand the support with

language training based on qualitative data.


Logistical support

Logistical support has been recognized by Black et al. (1991) and Shaffer et al. (1999) as a

factor that could potentially reduce uncertainty associated with issues regarding housing,

schools, shopping and the like, and facilitate adjustment. Very noticeable in the empirical

findings are the lack of support in relation to finding permanent accommodations. Even though

only two of the interviewees directly state that they would have wanted more help, it is

recognised by all the SIEs that Games Corporation should provide more support since the

housing market in Galway generally seem to be able to provide fewer quality places to live than

the demand. The support provided by Games Corporation to the SIEs in terms of setting up

bank accounts, social security number applications and providing health benefit packages were

acknowledged as satisfying support by the SIEs. From the empirical findings of the study it

cannot be determined whether or not Games Corporation should provide more family support.

None of the interviewed SIEs had brought their families and the HR Manager has not seen any

cases where SIEs had brought their family. Games Corporation should, according to the

theoretical framework, provide the SIEs families with support as the spouse’s inability to adjust

is one of the most frequent reasons for an expatriate’s premature return and is according to

Black et al. (1991) maybe one of the most important non-work factors. Games Corporation do,

however, expressly recognize the need for support in this area if relevant and are willing to

provide it.

Job training

Role clarity is recognized in the literature as facilitating adjustment and reducing the amount

of uncertainty in relation to the work situation. Role clarity should according to Shaffer et al.

(1999) be of more importance for lower-level expatriates than for upper-level expatriates. This

means that SIEs should be provided with an exact understanding of the position's requirements,

since the SIEs in this case are employed in a lower-level position. As can be seen from the

empirical material the SIEs are provided with four weeks of training, during which the SIEs'

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job role should, according to the HR Manager, be clearly expressed. The SIEs did, however,

find this training period to have too strong an emphasis on theory and called for more practical,

hands-on experience, though, as the lack of practical training risk increasing the uncertainty

regarding the job. Even though the SIEs articulate a need for more practical training the

interview responses indicate that role clarity was clearly expressed by Games Corporation.

The data showed that the SIEs have only a modicum of decision-making authority in handling

the customers, as they first and foremost are required to follow procedures and protocols. This

indicate that Games Corporation may need to provide their SIEs with more role discretion. The

expatriates will experience higher level of adjustment towards the job, the more role discretion

and company flexibility the expatriates’ experiences. Role discretion should furthermore enable

the SIEs to adjust to the new work settings and role. This may, however, be rather difficult to

afford the employees as they need to perform and interact consistently with the customers.

Affording the Game Advisors with decision-making power may lead to a customer being

treated differently by one GA than another, which in end could hurt the company. It should,

however, be noted that Shaffer et al. (1999) found that role discretion is more important for

upper-level expatriates. Role conflict is identified as one of the major factors that inhibits

expatriate adjustment through an increase in uncertainty in the work place. The exploratory

research showed that none of SIEs felt that that Games Corporation had been giving conflicting

signals in relation to the job, which means that the SIEs will most likely not experience

uncertainty and thus facilitate adjustment.

Social Support

Another important factor that was found significant in the literature is social support. Social

support of co-workers and superiors can function as a stress buffer for expatriates in work

adjustment and it may have an indirect effect on job satisfaction. This type of support can also

give the expatriates information that may help them understand what kind of behaviours are

acceptable and unacceptable in the new cultural and organisational settings, thus facilitating

cultural adjustment by reducing uncertainty (Black et al., 1991; Shaffer et al., 1999). The

empirical findings showed that the SIEs perceived the co-workers and supervisors as

supportive. This indicates that Games Corporation has provided the SIEs with an environment

that appears supportive which should, according to the theoretical framework, reduce

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uncertainty and promote adjustment. The support from co-workers and supervisor should also

have an indirect positive effect on job satisfaction and act as stress buffer for the SIEs. Kraimer

and Wayne (2004) also recognized that if the employee perceives the company as being caring

then it should have a positive effect on the expatriate’s adjustment. As it appears from the

collected data all of the five SIEs perceive the monthly and quarterly meeting as being sufficient

support, which indicates that no additional support is need in this area.

CCT

The theoretical framework has shown that CCT is one way of increasing CCA of expatriates.

The CCT-parts of the theoretical framework suggests several ways in which a MNC can deliver

this training and in what phases of the expatriate process (i.e. pre-departure and in-country) it

can be provided in. CCT should contribute to providing the expatriates with knowledge and

skills in order to overcome the challenges that they might be confronted with while living

abroad. As mentioned in Chapter 3.1.2.3 (Delivery Mechanisms of CCT) the author

acknowledges the practical challenges in providing CCT to the SIEs due to the lack of support

prior to arrival. Based on the HR Manager's statements, Games Corporation do not provide

their SIEs with this form of training. Some elements of CCT were identified in the qualitative

data, though, which indicates that Games Corporation, to some extent, provide their SIEs with

CCT. For example, interactive training that involves new expatriates to learn from employees

in a similar position. It could be argued that Games Corporation continues this trend after the

training period is over by creating teams that have a variety of nationalities and seniority-levels.

One possible explanation for this finding could be that the training elements of CCT is not

sufficiently elaborated by the author in the interview or that the HR Manager have the same

understanding of CCT as the author does. Regardless of whether or not Games Corporation

consciously employs elements of CCT, four of the SIEs state that they would have wanted some

CCT in order to understand their new environment. Based on the recognised need for more

support in the form of CCT, Games Corporation should try to incorporate more some elements

of this form of training even though the HR Manager articulates that this might not be within

the budget. The single SIE who did not see the need for CCT could be explained by his previous

international experience as he also was the only SIE who had been living in another country.

According to Black et al (1991) and Shaffer et al. (1999) previous international experience

increases the adjustment by enabling the expatriate to have form expectations, which

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additionally reduces uncertainty related to the relocation, which could have been the issue in

this case. As CCT is recognised as an important means to adjust expatriates, Games Corporation

should look at the different options for training within CCT and customize it to the SIEs

statements and Games Corporation's budget.

Social environment

Games Corporation provide their SIEs with 'hangouts' at the office: leisure environments where

the SIEs can socialize with each other. Leisure activities, such as foosball and pool, seems

immediately to be excellent ways for the SIEs at Games Corporation to spend their breaks and

to socialise with one another. This is however, not recognised within the theoretical framework

to be affecting adjustment nor is it experienced by three of the SIEs as to function optimally:

according to the interviews many nationalities seem to be socializing with those of the same

nationality, even though they rarely have breaks together. While the reasoning for the same

nationalities rarely having breaks together most likely is based on ensuring that support for a

specific language is always available it can indirectly invite different nationalities to socialize.

The SIEs' statements indicate the opposite, though: employees mostly socialize “within

nationalities”. Games Corporation may have opportunity here to revise the cross-cultural

integration system as it does not function as well as they believe it to be. This could mean that

Games Corporation should put more effort in integrating the new SIEs into the multi-cultural

teams. By having the SIEs only associate with employees from the same nationality Games

Corporation risk that the SIEs do not fully adjust to the new environment and is stuck in the

same rules and norms as in their respective country.

The HR Manager explains that Games Corporation have a team planning social activities for

the SIEs in order to make the SIEs socialize with each other outside of work. Even though

socialization outside of work is not acknowledged in the theoretical framework, it could still be

identified as an important factor through providing a higher quality of life for the SIEs: when

the SIEs left their home country, they also left their family and friends, which means that new

social bonds need to be established. These new social bonds could, similarly to social support

from co-workers and supervisor, provide the SIEs with information about what is acceptable or

unacceptable within the new cultural setting.

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Perceived Organisation Support

POS – Financial has been shown in the literature to influence expatriate adjustment to the

country and work-place positively. From the qualitative study it appears, based on the SIEs

statements, that the financial incentives (i.e. relocation bonus and salary) are perceived as above

average. The perception of POS - Financial should, according to Kraimer and Wayne (2004),

enhance the cross-cultural adjustment and commitment to the work-place. It should be noted

that even though all of the SIEs did not perceive the financial support as generous the SIEs still

perceived Games Corporation to take care of them financially during the relocation and in

regards to salary. Based on the above it can be assumed that Games Corporation's support in

relation to the financial aspect of relocation and living abroad, is sufficient, which means that

there is no need for Games Corporation to give the SIEs more financial assistance at this time.

POS - Career is recognized in the literature as an important means to commit the employee to

the organisation. Games Corporation's career developmental practices was, however, perceived

differently by the SIEs. These mixed results could be explained by the SIEs overall time

working at Games Corporation i.e. that the SIEs might not yet have the knowledge about the

developmental practices at Games Corporation because they have only been there for a

maximum of six months. It was also found that Games Corporation provided the SIEs with

weekly emails with job opportunities, but any initiative for career development was completely

placed on the SIE. The SIEs general perception was that Games Corporation seems to take an

interest in the SIEs career development, as long as the SIE express interest initially which,

according to Kraimer & Wayne (2004), enhance the adjustment and the commitment to the

organisation.

POS – Adjustment is primarily developed through the organization's policies and practices i.e.

the support given in both the pre-departure and after arrival phases. This is similar to Black et

al.’s (1999) anticipatory and in-country adjustment. The amount of support received by the SIEs

was perceived somewhat differently. The SIEs expressed a perception of the non-monetary

support, such as cultural information, training and CCT, as areas with opportunity for

improvement: information concerning the location and culture and support in finding

permanent accommodations were the primary points. This may risk influencing the SIEs

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general perception of Games Corporation not acting in the best interest of their employees as

soon as the SIEs have arrived and for topics not directly related to the work-place.

6.2 Conclusive summary - How can Games Corporation expand their current

SIE support-program and -strategies in order to increase cross-cultural

adjustment?

Several suggestions can be made for Games Corporation to expand their pre-departure CCT

based on the above discussions. It is, as argued in the theoretical chapter, possible to tailor some

of the traditional CCT elements to the situation of the SIEs and at a low cost. Games

Corporation could, for example, provide the SIEs with pre-departure didactic training sessions

in the form of informal briefings. Games Corporation could set up a structured video-chat

meeting with an employee from the same country as the new SIE who has been relocated to the

same position as the SIE. This could provide the SIEs with the necessary information to form

these accurate expectations and decrease uncertainty in relation to issues concerning the

relocation. Another option for Games Corporation would be to actively enquire into the SIEs

certainty of the job role or conduct post-arrival interviews with other SIEs in order to pro-

actively find gaps in the information provided. This would likely also be a low-cost method of

streamlining the process for the SIEs and reduce uncertainty.

In terms of logistical support, the only observed shortcoming of support shown in the data was

in relation to finding permanent housing arrangements. This indicates that Games Corporation

have opportunity here to expand their support programs in this area based on the SIEs

statements. As also described earlier, regarding POS – Adjustment, the SIEs perceive Games

Corporation to provide far too little support in finding a place to live even though the overall

view was generally positive. Logistical support does not directly influence the adjustment but

do help in diminish some of the challenges and uncertainties that SIEs encounter during

expatriation. There are several ways as to how Games Corporation can alleviate some of the

problems that SIEs are confronted with during their search for accommodations. Games

Corporation could, for example, establish contact between employees seeking accommodations

within the company. This could help the SIEs to find someone seeking a roommate or similar.

This may even also initiate more cross-cultural socializing between the employees leading to

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even better adjustment. Games Corporation could also create a partnership with local lettings

agencies in order to help their SIEs get settled in as quickly as possible.

The interviews with the SIEs clearly show a desire to have more hands-on, practical training

during the first two weeks of starting as a Game Advisor. Practical training is not directly

illustrated in the literature but should provide the SIEs with role clarity, thus facilitating

adjustment as knowing what a job entails compared to how to do it is significantly different.

Interaction training would be one available method for Games Corporation to provide better

practical experience with the tools. This could concretely be done by pairing the SIE with

another employee in the same position, but with more seniority (the only requirement here

would be that the senior-employee is either from the same country as the new SIE or a native

English-speaking one in order for the new SIE to understand the conversations between GA

and customer). Interaction training is based on the assumption that the new expatriate learns

best from someone in the same position, but with more experience. Experimental training is

also an element of CCT that Games Corporation can incorporate to alleviate the demand for

more practical experience. Experimental training is based on the premise “learning by doing”.

Games Corporation could construct a series of cases for the SIEs to handle during and after the

theoretical job training period in order to develop the SIEs' skills for performing work tasks

effectively.

Games Corporation may also need to consider if they can provide the SIEs with more decision-

making power as this should also help further adjustment. The earlier mentioned problem of

the GAs needing to treat the customer is the same manner consistently is, however, still the

primary issue with affording the GAs autonomy. The SIEs statements point to a desire for more

social activities and a revision of the range of social activities provided by Games Corporation

(such as more physical activities).

Based on the theoretical framework and the HR Manager's statement Games Corporation could,

in order to commit the SIEs to the organisation, make a better structured career development

plans for the SIEs. This is, however, not directly recognised by the SIEs as an opportunity for

expansion. Even though Game Advisor at Games Corporation is a low-level position one cannot

generalize to such an extent by stating that all SIEs seek to advance further within the company.

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There may be employees who are content where they are and have no intention of seeking new

opportunities. SIEs who are interested in advancing professionally would, on the other hand,

seek career development and similarly on their own volition. This means that Games

Corporation's method of handling career development may be an adequate fit currently for this

type of SIE, at least based on the interview statements and general understanding of the

company.

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7 Conclusions,

Implications & Suggestions for future research

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7 Conclusion Research has shown that expatriates who are culturally adjusted to a new organisation and

culture will improve success and performance. This means that it is in everyone's best interest

to provide support and feedback to accomplish a smooth and quick adjustment phase.

This thesis' primary aim was to identify areas of Games Corporation's SIE-support that showed

opportunity for improvement and formulate these areas into concrete suggestions. This specific

case examined Games Corporation's Game Advisors: low-level employees who provide first-

line customer support for hundreds of games (both in-game and technical). Being focused on

the SIEs not only meant that a theoretical framework had to be tested and compared against

Games Corporation's own understanding of how and how well this support and these strategies

functioned; it was also required to subsequently compare both the theoretical framework and

Games Corporation's understanding against statements from the SIEs. These evaluations and

re-evaluations were especially important since topics that one party involved found crucial

risked being a non-issue for the other. It should be noted that all of these suggestions for

improvement and expansion of the expatriate support aim to be realistic in regards to being as

low-cost as possible.

The literature on OEs (which the thesis' framework is based on) often stress the

idea that forming accurate expectations prior to arrival can be key to a smooth adjustment phase:

prior awareness of probable scenarios, cultural differences or ways to conduct oneself naturally

put less strain on an expatriate's mental resources. In the case of Games Corporation's SIEs it

was found, however, that pre-departure training (including accurate expectations) showed signs

of improvement. No concrete pre-departure training is provided to the SIEs, primarily due to

budget limitations (according to Games Corporation). There is, however, several methods for

Games Corporation to better their information-giving at a low cost, primarily didactic training

(information giving). First recommendation is for Games Corporation to reconsider both the

information on the country and culture that they provide, but also how this information is

delivered. The interviewed SIEs all state that the information provided was nearly useless as

they had no point-of-reference as to it's worth or usage, some even remarked that Games

Corporation may as well have provided a tourist-map of the city instead. It can be extremely

difficult to determine beforehand what information that is pertinent and what is not. Games

Corporation should, however, be actively enquiring and seeking feedback from SIEs in regards

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to the information provided and the information desired. Games Corporation also have the

option of setting up structured video-chat meeting between new hires and employees (from the

same country) already in the position. These forms of both structured information delivery and

casual conversation will provide the SIE with far better expectations of issues as culture

differences.

The interviews and examinations also showed that Games Corporation may need to consider

providing more help in regards to finding permanent accommodations. The current strategy of

providing the SIEs with two weeks of temporary accommodations are, although very

appreciated by the interviewed SIEs, outshined by the lack of support in finding somewhere

permanent. Games Corporation remarked that better help for this may be too costly for them,

however some low-cost options do exist. As Games Corporation often have new SIEs arriving

and others leaving there could be created a structured environment for the employees to find

people to live with. Another option would be for Games Corporation to look into cooperation

with local letting agencies which could benefit all involved – new hires would have an easier

time finding permanent accommodations (leading to faster adjusted and happier employees)

and the letting agency would have a reliable source of tenants.

The thesis' examinations also showed a need for better role clarity for the SIEs in regards to

practically performing their job. The general consensus from the interviewed SIEs was that they

theoretically knew what the job was about, but not how to actually perform the tasks they were

required to. The feeling of not knowing exactly how to do a job risks leading to slower

adjustment through uncertainty of role clarity. This could indicate that there is a balancing issue

in the on-site training at Games Corporation that could be alleviated by introducing more hands-

on, practical training during the first weeks of employment. Games Corporation should be able

to create a series of test cases for the SIEs that handle either the theoretical training that has just

been presented, often encountered issues or both.

Finally, there are an issue that do not expressly have a recommendation for expanding the SIE

support program, but rather an issue that was raised during the course of the interviews and

their subsequent analysis and discussion. The interviewed SIEs remarked a desire for Games

Corporation to provide more social activities and events. Games Corporation's office in Galway

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is, of course, a place of work, so they should not be expressly required to provide more social

events and activities than any other place of work. Games Corporation in Galway is, however,

somewhat unique as the majority of the employees have moved here from the native country,

meaning that they may have a greater need for socializing than employees at other companies.

7.1 Limitations of study

Theoretical limitations

As mentioned throughout the thesis, researchers of cross-cultural adjustment has neglected the

adjustment of SIEs. Research has primarily been concentrated on OEs, which means that a

theoretical framework alongside with empirically tested research on cross-cultural adjustment

of SIES has not been found. This primarily meant that constructing the initial theoretical

framework was required to be based on OE-specific literature. The literature first had to be

deciphered in regards to the differences of OEs and SIEs and afterwards the author was required

to assess the appropriateness of applying the modified theory to the aim of the thesis. While the

previous research which provided the foundation for the theoretical framework was not

explicitly suited for SIEs, for example in regards to the issues with providing pre-departure

CCT, it is the best approximate previous knowledge on the subject.

Philosophy of Science

When choosing the social constructivism standpoint, the researcher accepts that the truth is

created by the different choices throughout the study. This continuously contributes to form a

picture that represents a reality interpreted by the author and the involved. This furthermore

means that the study does not represent an eternally valid truth as the result is influenced by

many different factors – the truth of this thesis is merely an accurate representation of that

situation for this specific group of people.

Sample Size and Recruitment of Interviewees

This study had fewer interviewees than desired. This issue was mainly caused by Games

Corporation's hesitation of official cooperation with the project during the research phase: if

official communication channels to recruit interviewees were to be used a substantial amount

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of paperwork had to be filled out (which Games Corporation was not interested in doing). This

required the author to adjust the recruitment strategy of these interviewees to snowball

sampling. This meant that recruiting the SIEs for interviews was much more difficult as the

author was not allowed to use Games Corporation's official communication channels, but rather

word-of-mouth. This, in turn, lead to more hesitant SIEs who felt they might be going behind

the back of their new employer even though anonymity and prior approval from the company

was constantly emphasized. A larger pool of interviewees would, of course, have been

preferable.

Bias

It should be known that the author's partner is currently employed in this exact position (Game

Advisor) as the interviewed SIEs. This may have affected the author negatively as the author

personally experienced the support from Games Corporation to be lacking. The author has not

let this influence the data collection, processing of the same, interaction with SIEs and

employees of Games Corporation in any way, shape or form.

7.2 Suggestions for Further Research

This study has singularly investigated Games Corporation located in Galway, Ireland and what

support they provide their SIEs with. The thesis’ primary purposes were to understand how

Games Corporation could expand their support strategy and initiatives in order to increase the

SIEs cross-cultural adjustment. The thesis can, admittedly, be seen as extremely isolated in

regards to generalization or application to existing theory. A readily available option for further

research would be to expand the number of respondents and their parameters (such as time

within the company) or restrict them even further. The former would help the validity in regards

to generalizations as well as examinations into how the support affects and is remembered

further in employment. The latter would, for example, be restricting the participants to a specific

nationality which would lead to more specific generalizations on how a certain culture adjusts

to a new (also depending on the difference between the two cultures).

Conducting the same type of research as this thesis have, but applied to many, or

all, of Games Corporation's offices and studios could also yield interesting results in regards to

how a MNC handles relocation based on different geographic locations. This examination could

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then be even further expanded to include other companies with new research based on

company-size or business areas.

The author recommends that all of these research suggestions should be conducted with SIEs

and their cross-cultural adjustment in mind as the literature review showed a large gap in the

existing literature on the topic.

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