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© 2025 Baneviciene et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Due to increasing global mobility flows, self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) in both employee and managerial roles are now commonplace. However, the influence of direct supervisors’ international experience on the adjustment of SIEs remains underexplored. This study, grounded in signaling and similarity-attraction theories, addresses this gap through a qualitative examination of supervisors with international experience and at least one SIE under their supervision. The findings indicate that both foreign-born and locally born supervisors perceive their international experience as valuable in managing their international teams. Foreign-born supervisors, more frequently than their locally born counterparts, interpreted the uncertainty signals from their SIE employees as a reflection of empathy and open-mindedness, attributes shaped by their international backgrounds and cultural insights. Furthermore, the results suggest that all direct supervisors focus their support and actions primarily on facilitating SIEs’ adjustment in the work environment, rather than in the non-work environment. This research offers theoretical and practical insights for international human resource management, highlighting the positive impact of supervisors with international experience on the onboarding and adjustment processes of new SIEs, thereby enhancing the management of international teams.

Details

Title
International experience of a direct supervisor–does it matter for self-initiated expatriates’ adjustment?
Author
Baneviciene, Irma  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Pinto, Luisa Helena  VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Kumpikaite-Valiuniene, Vilmante  VIAFID ORCID Logo 
First page
e0326848
Section
Research Article
Publication year
2025
Publication date
Jun 2025
Publisher
Public Library of Science
e-ISSN
19326203
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3223559467
Copyright
© 2025 Baneviciene et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.