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Publisher Copyright: © 2022, Alexei Koveshnikov, Heidi Wechtler, Miriam Moeller and Cecile Dejoux. Purpose: Using social influence theory, this study examines the relationship between self-initiated expatriates' (SIE) political skill, as a measure of their social effectiveness, and cross-cultural adjustment (CCA). It also tests whether the host employer's psychological contract (PC) fulfillment mediates this relationship. Design/methodology/approach: Partial least square structural equation modeling (covariance-based SEM) technique is employed to analyze a sample of 209 SIEs. Findings: The study finds SIEs' political skill positively and significantly associated with SIEs' work-related adjustment. The relationship with interactional adjustment is only marginally significant. It also finds that SIEs' PC fulfillment mediates the relationship between SIEs' political skill and work-related adjustment. The mediation is marginally significant for the relationship between SIEs' political skill and general living adjustment. Originality/value: The study adds to the literature on expatriates' skills and CCA by theorizing and testing the hitherto unexplored role of SIEs' political skill in their work and non-work CCA. It also theorizes and examines the host employer's PC fulfillment as a mediating mechanism, through which SIEs' political skill facilitates their CCA. Finally, it advances the literature on political skill by testing the construct's application in the cross-cultural and non-work domain.

As organizations are becoming increasingly multicultural in their composition and global in their focus, we set out to zero in on extant dialog around creating, sharing and managing knowledge in an international work environment with this special issue. With this objective in mind, we inform on a range of contributions to provide a perspective on meaningful future research opportunities in this exciting domain. We first want to acknowledge that research is at an early developmental stage and has only begun to uncover factors that have the power to influence knowledge creation and transfer in an increasingly multicultural, international and diverse context. This is surprising since global work assignments and multiculturalism in the workplace have commonly been considered significant opportunities for the conveyance and generation of knowledge and a driver of learning. As an example, this research includes the crucial role of individuals’ ability, motivation and career aspirations (Lazarova and Tarique, 2005), the role of cultural intelligence (Vlaj ci c et al., 2019 ; Stoermer et al., 2021), knowledge sharing activities of expatriates and host country staff (Heizmann et al., 2018), language effects on knowledge sharing (Peltokorpi and Yamao, 2017) and reverse knowledge transfers from subsidiaries (Burmeister et al., 2015 ; Kong et al., 2018), including boundary conditions and the role of leadership (Bucher et al., 2020 ; Duvivier et al., 2019 ; Froese et al., 2021). Building on these vital advancements, this special issued called for articles that could further illuminate why individuals are motivated to share knowledge, how they accumulate knowledge and why individuals opt to hide their knowledge in an international working context. Second, as organizations begin to rely on a much a broader range of global personnel (Reiche et al., 2019 ; Shaffer et al., 2012) to tap into opportunities that can yield new organizational learning and other positive outcomes, a vast range of global work categories emerged. The special issue aims to elaborate on existing and elucidating new factors and dynamics that inform on knowledge creation and transfer nuances generated by a range of global work categories (Reiche et al., 2020 ; Shaffer et al., 2019), such as inpatriates or repatriates and associated management practices that can facilitate knowledge sharing by these specific categories of global workers. Third, international work arrangements do not have to necessarily be connected to physically transcending borders. In an age of digitization and in the light of the Covid- 19 pandemic, remote management and virtual international teams are gaining importance, but what are the ramifications for the sharing and management of knowledge in these fairly novel constellations of work? The articles featured in this special issue tackles these recent developments and the nascent gaps in research debate in or way or another and, thus, make a welcomed contribution to the pertinent literature and management practice.