Becoming an International Manager

Book excerpt: The book discusses international assignment-related decision-making by emerging market firms and their employees. It reveals that the ongoing, reciprocal interactions between the organisational and individual discourses, structures, processes, and the wider macro context spark multilevel role transitions and identity work. The book uncovers the macro-, meso-, and micro-level factors of role transitions and identity work, as well as their outcomes for international staffing. It also expands on the role (transition), social categorisation, and social identity theories by applying them to international staffing. Finally, it presents practical insights for international human resources managers by presenting several 'soft' approaches to managing international employee mobility, such as employer branding, prioritisation of favourable discourses and identities, and encouraging role hybridisation.