Why we need to know more about diversity among the globally mobile: a systematic literature review of non-traditional expatriate research and future research agenda for minority expatriates
ISSN: 2049-8799
Article publication date: 22 December 2021
Issue publication date: 8 February 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to provide a systematic literature review of research on non-traditional expatriates (NTEs) and an agenda for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
The systematic literature review of NTEs 2010–2020 followed Moher et al.'s flow chart approach to undertaking a systematic literature review and included research on various categories of NTEs.
Findings
The article explains how the author developed an interest in NTEs and provides a brief distillation of the author's research on NTEs and its key contributions. The article then presents the findings of the systematic literature review of NTEs and highlights the key aspects and contributions of this research. The article examines the strengths and weaknesses of the body of research, how it relates to global mobility research broadly and presents some issues for future literature reviews.
Research limitations/implications
The article highlights the limited research undertaken on some types of NTEs and issues of construct definition. The article presents issues for future research on NTEs including examining a wider range of NTEs, the impact of changing locations for NTEs, identity and intersectionality of NTEs, and methodological issues within NTE research. Moreover, the call for future research suggests the need for greater construct clarity including proposing a new term to define this group, namely, minority expatriates.
Originality/value
The article is original in terms of building on earlier examinations of NTEs to provide a systematic literature review of NTEs 2010–2020 and an extensive agenda for further research in the field.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author thanks David Watling (PhD candidate, Griffith University) for research assistance with literature searches.
The author thanks Professor Roxanne Bainbridge (Central Queensland University) for introducing the PRISMA diagram to the author when they collaborated on an earlier publication.
The author appreciates the commitment of the Expert Review Series Editors, Dr Yvonne Kallane and Dr Anthony Fee, in providing guidance throughout the writing of this paper. The author also appreciates the constructive and insightful suggestions of the anonymous reviewers.
Citation
Hutchings, K. (2022), "Why we need to know more about diversity among the globally mobile: a systematic literature review of non-traditional expatriate research and future research agenda for minority expatriates", Journal of Global Mobility, Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 127-161. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGM-02-2021-0012
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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