The flexpatriate psychological contract: a literature review and future research agenda

Pate, J. and Scullion, H. (2018) The flexpatriate psychological contract: a literature review and future research agenda. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 29(8), pp. 1402-1425. (doi: 10.1080/09585192.2016.1244098)

Abstract

Since the 1980s, research on international assignments (IA) has principally focused on traditional long-term expatriates. However, due to pressures to reduce long-term expatriate assignments and the emergence of a portfolio of more flexible staffing options, there has recently been a growing focus on the deployment of alternative forms of IA. This paper focuses on one form of alternative IA, flexpatriation, where employees undertake frequent international business trips without relocating. More specifically, we critically examine the flexpatriate employment relationship by applying psychological contract theory to yield insight into both the employer and the employee perspectives, which has been neglected in previous research. The article also examines some of the key HR challenges in managing flexpatriates and contributes to both the IHRM and psychological contract literature by presenting an agenda for future research in this area.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Pate, Dr Judith
• Authors: Pate, J., and Scullion, H.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
• Journal Name: International Journal of Human Resource Management
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 0958-5192
• ISSN (Online): 1466-4399
• Published Online: 19 October 2016
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 Taylor and Francis
• First Published: First published in International Journal of Human Resource Management 29(8):1402-1425
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher