Systematic Literature Review on Expatriate Adaptation: Retrospection of a Decade

Abstract

Expatriate adaptation refers to degree of fit between the expatriate's ideal requirements and his new environment. Extant literatures indicate that the success of multinational operations is overall dependent on successful adaptation of expatriates. However, as expatriate adaption evolves as an important subject in international management research, salient emerging issues need to be highlighted for the attention of researchers and industry players. This systematic review aggregates a decade (2012 – 2021) depth research. Systematic search was conducted on Scopus on 28th October 2021 and repeated accordingly on 3rd January 2022. Whence, 2,967 records were extracted. The methodology is based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework which emphasizes methodological steps of identification, screening, eligibility and included and ensures transparency and comprehensive reporting for critical judgement. Following the review panel parameters of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 67 articles were explored. Hence, descriptive analysis showed steady rise in research publications. 88% of the records found were empirical. Literature classification and analysis identified six (6) emerging themes including yopatriates, flexpatriates, female expatriates. academic expatriates, dual career couple expatriates, and expatriate hostile environment. We recommend investigation into these emerging themes in order to determine adaptation intricacies in each domain.