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PurposeThis paper aims to discuss multiple uses of the concept of “bubble” as a metaphor to refer to different experiences of foreign working communities and suggests a more flexible and comprehensive approach.Design/methodology/approachBased on ethnographic fieldwork conducted at different locations, the authors propose changing the use of the bubble metaphor from an analogy of living in isolation to a way of conceptualising the changing contexts and characteristics that impact the porosity and permeability of communities.FindingsThe paper suggests that when using the metaphor as a concept, the following considerations need to be taken into account: (1) the conventional thinking that “expat-bubbles” are isolated places, (2) any simplistic notion that different internationally mobile workers will be less or more immersed in the local community and (3) the use of the bubble metaphor without a careful delineation and reference to its permeability and porosity.Originality/valueThe paper helps to visualise a different dimension of the traditional taken-for-granted representation of the bubble. The bubble emerges as a rich analogical concept not to explain binomial representations of integration-separation. Rather than a simple “open” or “closed”, bubbles became more or less porous and permeable depending on the experiences of foreign working communities.

PurposeThis study explores whether expatriation type (assigned expatriates (AEs) versus self-initiated expatriates (SIEs)) is linked to job exhaustion via possible differences in required efforts for their jobs and the rewards they gain from them, and/or the balance between efforts and rewards. Adopting effort–reward imbalance (ERI) and job demands/resources (JD-R) theories, the authors study the possible role of ERI as a mediator between expatriation type and job exhaustion.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was carried out in co-operation with two Finnish trade unions, providing representative data from 484 assigned and SIEs. The authors test this study’s hypotheses through latent structural equation modelling, and the analysis was conducted with Stata 17.0 software.FindingsThe results show that ERI between them are correlated with the job exhaustion of expatriates in general and there are no direct links between expatriation type and job exhaustion. The required effort from AEs was higher than that from SIEs though no difference was found for rewards, and the match between effort demands and rewards is less favourable for AEs than SIEs. AEs experienced higher job exhaustion than SIEs because of the higher effort demands and greater imbalance between efforts and rewards.Originality/valueThe study examines the work well-being of two types of expatriates and explores the underlying mechanisms that may explain why they may differ from each other.

A widespread rhetoric suggests that market-like rules dominate employment relationships, and particularly compensation, but empirical evidence is inconclusive. This research examines organisations’ compensation policies in clusters of European capitalist economies to test such a hypothesis. Four fuzzy clusters emerged from data, namely, Standard, Internalised, Competitive and Incentive, which illustrates a division between organisation- and market-based models. Collective pay rules characterise organisation-based model, and this is the predominant model in all countries except for the liberal market economies. Firms from different models of capitalism rely on internal labour market pay rules, suggesting that the scope of the liberal market system is narrow. Differences within clusters of capitalist economies suggest a role for agency and hidden labour market specificities in each grouping. The similarities of pay policies open room to identifying capitalist economies differently.

As part of this 60th anniversary edition of the Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, this paper provides a review of the impact of technology over the last decade on the role of HRM. This period was bookended by the global financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic and saw the emergence of fourth industrial revolution. The decade provided a platform and maturity of a wide range of technology-based processes requiring appropriate policies to guide and manage them. From social media and cyber-vetting, to electronic monitoring and surveillance and biometric testing, all have made a significant impact across the workplace and not least on the HRM aspect of work. The paper addresses these changes to show the significant impact on the workplace.

This study examines the psychological contracts held by expatriates with low socioeconomic status. We develop and test a moderated mediation model that examines the direct relationship between organisational support and intention to leave via the mediating role of psychological contract fulfilment. We also examine the moderating role of transactional psychological contracts on this indirect relationship in a sample of 108 low-status expatriates in the United Arab Emirates. Our results validate the assumptions made in psychological contract theory on the direct effect of organisational support and contract fulfilment. However, contrary to our expectations, the findings revealed a positive relationship between contract fulfilment and intention to leave. We discuss the implications of these mixed results for theory and practice.

PurposeThis paper aims: to undertake a systematic literature review on SIEs, examining twenty years of literature published between 2000 and 2020, focusing on the most-cited empirical work in the field; to analyse the topics covered by these studies; and to propose a research agenda.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted a systematic literature review, identifying the 20 most-cited empirical articles through citation analysis during the period and, because citations accrue over time, the six most-cited empirical articles of the last three years. We then used content analysis to examine the main themes they address and identify the research gaps.FindingsThe most common themes addressed in the SIE literature are: analysis of the types and distinctions of SIEs, motivation to undertake self-initiated expatriation, SIEs' adjustment to the new country, and SIEs' careers and outcomes.Originality/valueThis paper provides a first opportunity to look back at 20 years of research into a relatively new topic, highlighting the main research themes and knowledge gaps, and setting directions for future research. The paper expands knowledge on SIEs, assisting SIE scholars and IHRM practitioners to develop a global, critical understanding of SIEs' issues, and hopefully energising future research in this field.

The study of employee voice in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across national contexts remains under-theorised and under-studied. This paper uses Kaufman’s integrative model of employee voice, and an exploratory study of 30 interviews with employees in non-unionised SMEs in the United Kingdom, Thailand and Nigeria, to compare the employee experience with voice, and the impact of this experience on voice behaviour at work. Findings show that the interaction between the external institutional context and internal SME context (organisational configuration, governance structure and internal contingencies in the employment relationship) impacts employee voice agency, the perceived levels of voice and, ultimately, employee voice behaviour. The paper contributes to employee voice theory by offering \ud an analysis of voice determinants on voice behaviour specific to non-unionised SMEs from an internationally comparative employee perspective, presents these in an initial framework and explains how employees experience voice in small workplaces.

This paper examines the effects of two-way congruences and incongruences between three components of paternalistic leadership, namely, benevolence, morality, and authoritarianism, on overall subordinate justice perceptions. We hypothesize that these dyad in-/congruences would differentially predict subordinate overall justice perceptions, with perceptions of renqing as a mediator. With data collected from two-wave surveys in the People’s Republic of China, the results indicate that dyad congruences and incongruences between benevolence, morality, and authoritarianism have significant impacts on subordinate perceptions of renqing and, ultimately, their overall justice perception. Our findings underscore that to fully understand the influencing processes of paternalistic leadership on subordinate outcomes, it is important to take into account the context and the different combinations of its three dimensions.

Ten years ago, Stahl et al. (J Int Bus Stud 41:690-709, 2010) performed a meta-analysis of the literature on cultural diversity and team performance, aiming to improve our understanding of "the mechanisms and contextual conditions under which cultural diversity affects team processes" (p. 691). State-of-the-art studies still echo the article's conclusion about the 'double-edged sword' of cultural diversity, referring to the trade-off between process losses and gains. In this commentary, we assess progress within the past decade on our understanding of this double-edged sword. We argue that in terms of adding new insights, IB, as a field, has made substantial progress with respect to understanding diversity within teams, moderate progress with respect to input-process-output logic, and minimal progress with respect to definitions of cultural diversity. Our recommendations for moving beyond the double-edged sword metaphor in the next decade include shifting focus from cultural diversity per se to how it is managed, moving away from simplicity towards unfolding complexity, and expanding diversity categories beyond culture, and mechanisms beyond knowledge or information.Il y a dix ans, Stahl, Maznevski, Voigt et Jonsen (2010) ont réalisé une méta-analyse de la littérature sur la diversité culturelle et la performance des équipes, visant à améliorer notre compréhension “des mécanismes et des conditions contextuelles dans lesquelles la diversité culturelle affecte les processus d’équipe” (p. 691). Faisant référence au compromis entre les pertes et les gains de processus, des études de référence font toujours écho à la conclusion de l’article sur “l’épée à double tranchant” de la diversité culturelle. Dans ce commentaire, nous évaluons les progrès réalisés au cours de la dernière décennie sur notre compréhension de cette arme à double tranchant. Nous soutenons qu’en termes d’apport de nouvelles idées, l’IB, en tant que domaine, a fait des progrès substantiels en ce qui concerne la compréhension de la diversité au sein des équipes, des progrès modérés en ce qui concerne la logiqueHace 10 años, Stahl, Maznevski, Voigt, y Jonsen (2010) llevaron a cabo un meta-análisis de la literatura sobre diversidad cultural y el desempeño del equipo, buscando mejorar nuestro entendimiento de “los mecanismos y las condiciones contextuales bajo las cuales la diversidad cultural afecta los procesos del equipo” (p- 691). Los estudios de estado de arte siguen haciendo eco a la conclusión del artículo sobre la “espada de doble filo” de la diversidad cultural, refiriéndose a la solución intermedia entre perdidas y ganancias en el proceso. En este comentario, evaluamos el progreso hecho en la última década de nuestro entendimiento de esta espada de doble filo. Sostenemos que, en términos de agregar nuevo conocimiento, negocios internacionales, como campo, ha tenido un progreso sustancial con relación al entendimiento de la diversidad en los equipos, un progreso moderado en relación a la lógica insumo-proceso-resultado, y un progreso mínimo en relación a las definiciones de diversidad cultural. Nuestras recomendaciones para ir más allá de la metáfora de la espada de doble filo en la próxima década incluyen cambiar en enfoque de diversidad cultural per se a cómo es está manejada, alejarse de la simplicidad hacia el despliegue de la complejidad, y expandir las categorías más allá de cultura, y los mecanismos más allá de conocimiento o información.Há dez anos, Stahl, Maznevski, Voigt e Jonsen (2010) realizaram uma meta-análise da literatura sobre diversidade cultural e desempenho de equipe, com o objetivo de melhorar nossa compreensão sobre “os mecanismos e condições contextuais sob os quais a diversidade cultural afeta os processos de equipe” (p. 691). Estudos que representam o estado da arte ainda ecoam a conclusão do artigo sobre a “espada de dois gumes” da diversidade cultural, referindo-se ao trade-off entre perdas e ganhos de processo. Neste comentário, avaliamos o progresso na última década sobre nossa compreensão dessa espada de dois gumes. Argumentamos que, em termos de acréscimo de novos insights, IB, como um campo, fez um progresso substancial no que diz respeito à compreensão da diversidade dentro de equipes, progresso moderado em relação à lógica de entrada-processamento-saída e progresso mínimo em relação às definições de diversidade cultural. Nossas recomendações para ir além da metáfora da espada de dois gumes na próxima década incluem mudar o foco de diversidade cultural per se para como ela é gerenciada, afastando-se da simplicidade na direção da revelação da complexidade e expandindo categorias de diversidade além da cultura e mecanismos além do conhecimento ou informação.十年前,Stahl,Maznevski,Voigt和Jonsen(2010)对文化多样性和团队绩效的文献进行了荟萃分析,旨在提高我们对“文化多样性影响团队过程的机制和情境条件”的理解(第691页)。最新的一些研究仍然呼应着该文关于文化多样性的“双刃剑”结论, 指的是过程损失与收益之间的权衡。在这篇评论中, 我们评估过去十年中对这把双刃剑的理解的进展。我们认为, 就增加新见解而言, IB作为一个领域, 在理解团队内部的多样性方面取得了实质性进展, 在输入过程-输出逻辑方面取得了适度的进展, 在文化多样性定义方面取得的进展最小。我们关于在下一个十年里超越双刃剑比喻的建议包括: 将重点从文化多样性本身转移到它如何被管理, 从简单性转变为展现复杂性, 将多样性类别扩展到文化之外, 将机制扩展到知识或信息之外。.

As geopolitical crises unfold and the world turns its attention to the movement of people across borders, management scholars endeavoring to inform business and policy must open new lines of inquiry if they are to maximize impact. In this Guidepost, we argue for three important avenues that deserve special attention: transformation in directionality and geographic spread of global migration patterns; human rights among under-researched migrant populations; and working from anywhere, in automated workplaces and with artificial intelligence. These critical research pathways require engagement in conceptual cross-fertilization and inclusion of practitioner, policy and human rights experts in the process of knowledge generation.

The global outbreak of COVID-19 led to a rapid shift to Working from Home (WFH). In universities and other parts of the education sector, on-line teaching and assessment become mandatory. We use research from a representative large-scale (n = 2,287) survey of business, management and economics academics in the UK to examine how prior on-line experience, learning during the ‘lockdown’, and work engagement, impacted their perceptions of on-line education. Results show that: (1) experience of on-line activity prior to the lockdown was substantially positively related to perceptions of working virtually, though perceptions differed by seniority; (2) experience of working on-line during lockdown did not enhance academic’s views of on-line delivery or any bias against on-line delivery, but it did increase positive attitudes towards on-line marking; (3) those able to maintain mental resilience and energy are considerably more likely to perceive on-line activity positively; but being more ‘dedicated’ or more ‘ensconced in work’ did not play a role. We explore the implications of these findings for the future of on-line work.

This research examines a newer breed of globally mobile international employee, older academic international business travellers (AIBTs). This is the first study to examine older academics who retire or reduce their responsibilities but continue to work – and to work internationally. Using semi-structured interviews with older academics from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, we found ten key drivers for continuing to work, albeit in a different capacity, as academic international business travellers; most of which related to strong identification with occupation. We also\ud found interviewees have generally greater satisfaction levels than experienced in their previous work. Interviewees expressed intentions to continue working as long as opportunities are presented to them and their interest in doing so and health allows. We note implications for further research and opportunities for universities to make use of the invested human capital of older academics.

peer-reviewed Collecting large-scale comparative management data from multiple countries poses challenges in demonstrating methodological rigour, including the need for representativeness. We examine the rigour of sample representativeness, the counterbalancing effect of sample relevance, and explore sampling options, equivalence across countries, data collection procedures and response rates. We identify the challenges posed by cross-national survey data collection, and suggest that the ideal research designs presented in much of the literature might not be practical or desirable in large-scale, multi-time-point, cross-national comparative management studies because of the need to ensure relevance across such contexts. Using the example of Cranet – a large-scale, multi-time-point, cross-national survey of human resource management – we offer suggested solutions for balancing both rigour and relevance in research of this nature

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the direct impact of individual variables (cultural openness, social orientation, willingness to communicate, confidence in own technical abilities, active stress resistance, prior international experience) on expatriate time to proficiency (TTP); and the moderating effects of the home country on the relationships between these individual variables and expatriate TTP. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a quantitative, self-administered questionnaire to gather data from assigned expatriates from different countries in India, analysed through partial least squares. Findings The findings show that, first, four individual variables, i.e. social orientation, willingness to communicate, confidence in technical abilities and active stress resistance reduce expatriate TTP in the global sample. Second, the individual antecedents of expatriate TTP vary significantly across home countries. Research limitations/implications The results confirm the importance of individual antecedents in explaining expatriate TTP and the importance of context in the study of expatriates’ cross-cultural effectiveness. The authors also propose new, shorter measures for the individual antecedents. Practical implications The practical implications for HRM professionals relate mainly to selection and cross-cultural training. Expatriates may also get a better understanding of the individual and contextual variables that impact their TTP. Originality/value The authors show that individual antecedents interact with context, here home country, to predict expatriate TTP in an under-researched host country, India.

In this paper, we assess the development of financial participation schemes, employee share ownership and profit-sharing in selected European countries and the degree to which they are correlated with strategic human resource management, and industrial relations, that is collective bargaining, unionization and works councils, and national context. This study adds a more dynamic perspective to the literature on the incidence of financial participation by using a longitudinal approach rarely found before. Our hypotheses are based on the theoretical frameworks of strategic human resource management (HRM), industrial relations and institutional approach. We use data drawn from the waves of the Cranet surveys on Human Resource Management: 1999/2000, 2005/06, 2010/11 and 2015/16. We find that both time and national location are important. The national context matters in particularly for profit-sharing and less for employee share ownership. For both forms of financial participation, the country regulative context is also more important than industrial relations factors and HRM strategies. In general, industrial relation factors gain importance over time and become more important than the HRM strategy for employee share ownership (ESO) but not for profit-sharing (PS). In general, over the whole period, commitment HRM is more important for the incidence of ESO and PS than control HRM, but the relative importance of these strategies varies per year.

This study explores variations in the incidence of performance appraisals according to setting and multinationality. Using data from Europe and adopting the lens of comparative capitalisms, we found that performance appraisal (particularly, systems linking rating to rewards) is used more in the Anglo-Saxon Liberal Market Economies (LMEs) than in the other market economies found in continental Europe. Foreign owned MNEs tended to use performance appraisal more than other organisations in our sample, which may be a reflection of country of origin pressure (with most originating in LMEs). MNEs were also more likely to make use of more comprehensive forms of performance appraisal than their domestic counterparts, including elements that went beyond review and rewards to encompass training and development and career planning. We found little to suggest a default by firms towards the LME ideal, thus indicating the continued relevance of other national institutional recipes.

Migration is increasingly viewed as a high-priority policy issue among politicians, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, and civil society throughout the world. Its implications for the private sector, for economic prosperity, and for the cross-border activities of firms are undeniable and likely to grow in importance. Yet, despite its relevance to International Business, treatment of migration in the mainstream International Business literature has been limited. In this contribution, we set out key aspects of migration that are germane to International Business. Specifically, we suggest recent migratory shifts are transforming important elements of the context in which multinational enterprises operate, with significant implications for their international human resource management practices, for firms' entry modes and market selection approaches, and for the manner in which international strategies are formulated and implemented. We offer a research agenda to motivate International Business scholars to study global migration in more depth and to reevaluate the generalizability of aspects of their theories in light of developments in global migration.La migration est de plus en plus considérée comme une question politique hautement prioritaire par les politiciens, les organisations intergouvernementales, les ONGs et la société civile du monde entier. Ses implications pour le secteur privé, pour la prospérité économique et pour les activités transfrontalières des entreprises sont indéniables et vont probablement prendre de l'importance. Pourtant, malgré son importance pour les affaires internationales, la littérature dominante de celles-ci n’accorde encore que peu d’attention à l’étude de la migration. Dans cette contribution, nous abordons les aspects clés de la migration qui comptent pour les affaires internationales. Plus spécifiquement, nous suggérons que les récents changements migratoires transforment des éléments importants du contexte dans lequel les entreprises multinationales opèrent, et ce avec des implications significatives pour leurs pratiques de gestion des ressources humaines au niveau international, pour leurs approches de sélection des marchés et de modes d'entrée, ainsi que pour la manière dont leurs stratégies internationales sont construites et mises en œuvre. Nous proposons un programme de recherche pour inciter les chercheurs en affaires internationales à étudier de manière plus approfondie la migration mondiale et à réévaluer la généralisabilité de certains aspects de leurs théories à la lumière de l'évolution de la migration mondiale.La migración se considera cada vez más una cuestión política prioritaria entre los políticos, las organizaciones intergubernamentales, las ONG y la sociedad civil de todo el mundo. Sus implicaciones para el sector privado, para la prosperidad económica y para las actividades transfronterizas de las empresas son innegables y es probable que su importancia aumente. No obstante, a pesar de su importancia para Negocios Internacionales, el tratamiento de la migración en la literatura principal de Negocios Internacionales ha sido limitado. En esta contribución, exponemos los aspectos clave de la migración que son relevantes para Negocios Internacionales. Específicamente, sugerimos que los recientes cambios migratorios están transformando elementos importantes del contexto en el que operan las empresas multinacionales, con implicaciones significativas para sus prácticas de gestión de recursos humanos internacionales, para los modos de entrada de las empresas y los enfoques de selección de mercados, y para la forma en que se formulan e implementan las estrategias internacionales. Ofrecemos una agenda de investigación para motivar a los estudiosos de Negocios Internacionales a estudiar la migración global en mayor profundidad y a reevaluar la generalizabilidad de aspectos de sus teorías a la luz de los desarrollos en la migración global.Migração é cada vez mais vista como uma questão política de alta prioridade entre políticos, organizações intergovernamentais, ONGs e a sociedade civil em todo o mundo. Suas implicações para o setor privado, para prosperidade econômica e para as atividades transfronteiriças das empresas são inegáveis e provavelmente crescerão em importância. Porém, apesar de sua relevância para Negócios Internacionais, o tratamento da migração na literatura dominante de Negócios Internacionais tem sido limitado. Nesta contribuição, apresentamos aspectos chave da migração que são pertinentes a Negócios Internacionais. Especificamente, sugerimos que recentes mudanças migratórias estão transformando relevantes elementos do contexto no qual empresas multinacionais operam, com significativas implicações para suas práticas internacionais de gestão de recursos humanos, para modos de entrada de empresas e abordagens de seleção de mercado, e para a maneira como as estratégias internacionais são formuladas e implementadas. Oferecemos uma agenda de pesquisa para motivar acadêmicos de Negócios Internacionais a estudar migração global com mais profundidade e reavaliar se aspectos de suas teorias são generalizáveis dados os desenvolvimentos na migração global.移民越来越被世界各地的政治家、政府间组织、非政府组织和民间社会视为一个高度优先的政策问题。它对私营行业、经济繁荣和企业跨境活动的启示是不可否认的， 且可能会变得越来越重要。然而，尽管它与国际商务相关， 主流的国际商务文献对移民的研究是有限的。在这篇文章中， 我们列出了与国际商务密切相关的移民问题的关键面。具体而言， 我们认为最近的迁移转变正在改变跨国企业经营环境的重要因素， 对其国际人力资源管理实践、公司的进入模式和市场选择方法以及国际战略的制定与实施方式产生重大影响。我们提供了一个研究议程， 以激励国际商务学者更深入地研究全球移民， 并根据全球移民的发展重新评估其理论的各个方面的通用性。.

This chapter focuses on the way that such migrants are being, or are not being, integrated into what has been referred to as global talent management (GTM). The latest estimates in 2019 were that there are around 272 million migrant workers around the world. Problems of definition and measurement bedevil the area, but it seems that migration has been increasing significantly over recent years. It has been close to the center of major political discussions in many of the developed countries in the last few years. The societies that they leave may also benefit significantly from remittances that the migrants send back home. A short-term migrant is a person who moves to a country other than that of their usual residence for a period of at least three months but less than 12 months except in cases where the movement to that country is for purposes of recreation, holiday, visits to friends or relatives, business, medical treatment, or religious pilgrimage.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the contextual determinants of transition from expatriation to migration (TEM) among ministers of religion originating from the developing world.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used in-depth analysis of narratives of four African religious ministers working in France, plus interviews with their five superiors and three host country national colleagues.FindingsThe findings point to personal-level, organisational-level and country-level contextual determinants, which come into play as levers or barriers in the “TEM” process.Originality/valueThe study identifies a new category of global mobility research at the intersection of expatriation and migration and develops a theoretical framework which points to the positive and negative influence of three-layered contextual determinants on how expatriated low-status church ministers from the developing world become migrants. The authors found a so far unreported determinant of the personal context: the role of a world view: very visible as “God centrality” in the participants. Results also shed new light on the international careers of this overlooked category of “non-traditional expatriates” from Africa.

We explore two historically different, yet regionally connected, countries and the way that their weak institutional foundations and long-term economic turbulence have made them unable to overcome crises, leading to the institutionalisation of adverse working conditions. We focus on the outcomes of the systemic crisis in Greece and the transition crisis in Serbia using semi-structured interviews and focus groups with managers and employees in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in two time periods. We argue that, although the crisis has different origins in the two countries, in both it has led to adverse working conditions becoming institutionalised in organisations and, therefore, less likely to change. Our research explores the institutionalisation of adverse working conditions and offers an understanding of the lived reality of institutions in the way they are experienced by individuals, examining variations in the origins, pressures and outcomes of different types of crises on business practices from an individual perspective.

We examine the careers of expatriates in an inter-governmental organization (IGO) who undertake a mix of hardship and non-hardship assignments. Considering the individual, organizational, and broader environmental domains, and using conservation of resources theory, we examine what contributes to such expatriates’ career satisfaction. Based on survey data, we find that career satisfaction is influenced by views of how their assignments fit their overall career and the procedural justice of their organization’s career management system. Since their careers – unlike careers in most multinational corporations (MNC) – are likely to include one or more hardship postings, we also look at whether these hardship postings are associated with lower career satisfaction. Our results provide support for such negative relationships only when IGO expatriates’ career motivations of dedication to cause and challenge-seeking are low. We contribute to a greater understanding of career success and expatriation outside the MNC ‘norm’ and to research on expatriation in extreme contexts.

This chapter takes the contextual view of human resource management (HRM) and its challenge to the universalistic perspective that is explored in the preceding chapters and adds the element of time. How does time change the relationship between countries in their way of managing HRM? Including time leads to a question that goes beyond snapshot views of how various aspects of context at different levels relate to HRM: How do these relationships and their effects develop as the years go by? The chapter addresses the notion of convergence in three steps. First, it examines a range of conceptual views about what convergence means in different theoretical traditions and discourses. Second, and based on that examination, it offers a balanced overview of the conceptual and empirical evidence about how HRM has been developing in different contextual settings over time, teasing out what we know for sure and what is still open for speculation. Third, the chapter outlines some promising options for future research at the conceptual, empirical, and practical levels.

This introductory chapter explains the origins of The Oxford Handbook of Contextual Approaches to Human Resource Management and outlines some of the underlying motivations for its development. In order to set the scene, the chapter discusses aspects of the development of academic interest in the field of contextual human resource management and establishes the need for a move away from the emphasis on the universalistic approach to HRM. The chapter also presents a multilevel perspective on context encompassing the macro, meso and micro levels. This is followed by an explanation of the structure of the handbook and an overview of each chapter, and their contributions to this text.