Clash of Cultures? German Expatriates' Work‐Life Boundary Adjustment in South Korea

Published date01 September 2018
Date01 September 2018
DOIhttp://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12102
Clash of Cultures? German Expatriates
Work-Life Boundary Adjustment in
South Korea
ANNA KATHARINA BADER,FABIAN JINTAE FROESE and ALBERT KRAEH
University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
Managingwork-life balance abroadis considered as one of the keychallenges associated withexpatriation. That is
particularly true when the enactment of the work-life boundaries of expatriateshome and host countries diverge.
Drawing from boundary theory, we investigate whether and how expatriates experience cross-cultural challenges
in terms of their work-life boundaries abroad. We interviewed 28 German expatriates in South Korea because both
cultures differ substantially in terms of their preferred work-life boundaries. Our study shows that perceived work-
life boundary pressures in the foreign environment and willingness to adjust to the local work-life boundary culture
vary substantially among expatriates. Based on a functionof these two forces, we developa typology of four work-life
boundary adjustment styles and relatethem to work-life balancesatisfaction. Furthermore,we identify individualand
organizational factors that influence expatriateswork-life boundary adjustment styles. Theoretical and practical
implications are discussed.
Keywords: expatriates; work-life balance; work-life conflict; boundary theory; boundary management styles;
South Korea; Germany
Introduction
Global business needs and economic liberalization have
led to various job possibilities around the world and have
enabled individuals to take jobs in differenthost countries
(Al Ariss, 2014).However, living and workingabroad is a
challengingexperience. On the one hand, expatriates have
to adjust to a new working role, often characterized by
greater responsibilities and performance expectations
(Bhaskar-Shrinivas et al., 2005; Shaffer and Harrison,
2001). Accordingly, pressure in the work domain is
usually high for expatriates. On the other hand, family
members are often more dependent on each other and
traveling spouses can increase the strain of the expatriate
(Haslberger and Brewster, 2008; Takeuchi et al., 2002).
Against this backdrop, expatriates face severe conflicts
between expectations at work and their private lives and
frequently leave their host country before their contract
ends (Kraeh et al., 2015). In consequence, managing the
boundaries between work and life is acknowledged as
one of the key challenges associated with expatriation
(Mäkelä and Suutari, 2015).
This challenge is exacerbated when individuals or
families expatriate to countries with a different meaning
of the relation between work and life. For instance,
Germany is, like most other European countries,
characterizedbyacultureofstrongsegmentationofwork
and private life.Working hours in Germany arethe lowest
in the OECD (2015) with1,371 hours per person per year,
a practice that has also shaped and reinforced the
importancethat is attached to the separationof private life.
In stark contrast, the South Korean (henceforth Korean)
culture is known for l ong working hours and int egrated
work and life spheres (Kraeh et al., 2015). With 2,113
working hours per year, Korea is among the nations with
the highest working hours in the OECD (2015).
Furthermore,it is very common for employees to socialize
with their supervisors, colleagues, and customers late into
the night (a practiceknown as hoesik) (Kraeh et al., 2015).
Lee et al. (2011)argue that in Korea working long hours is
seen as a necessary sacrifice made in order to support and
take care of the familyrather than as interferencein private
life and Koreans do not perceive much work-life conflict
when working long hours.
The purpose of our study is to investigate how
expatriates manage work and life in such a foreign
work-life culture. In particular, using data from 28
interviews with German expatriates in Korea we aim to
Correspondence: Fabian JintaeFroese, University of Goettingen, Platz der
GoettingerSieben 5, 37073 Goettingen, Germany.Tel: +49 551 3920491.
E-mail ffroese@uni-goettingen.de
European Management Review, Vol. 15, 357374, (2018)
DOI: 10.1111/emre.12102
©2016 European Academy of Management
investigatewhether and how expatriates perceivepressure
to adjust to the foreign work-life culture and if they are
willing to do so. In order to provide a holistic framework,
our sample is balanced in terms of organizational
expatriates (OEs) who were dispatched to their
international position by their employer and self-initiated
expatriates (SIEs) who have individually made the
decision to work abroad (Inkson et al., 1997; Peltokorpi
and Froese, 2009). Building on their experience, we
develop a typology consisting of four adjustment styles
in order to cope with the culturally different work-life
environment.
This study contributes to the expatriate literature in two
major ways. First, we transfer boundary theory (Ashforth
et al., 2000; Nippert-Eng, 1996) to the expatriation
context. Boundaries are mental fences (Zerubavel, 1997)
and lines of demarcaction individuals use to differentiate
between domainsin their everyday social life,in particular
the separation between work and private domains.
Boundaries are socially and culturally constructed
(Nippert-Eng, 1996) and how individuals manage and
enact their work-life boundary is different across
countries. In consequence, expatriates might experience
particular work-life boundary challenges because of
cultural differences between the preferences regarding
work-life boundaries in the home and host country. To
draw a more cohesive picture of these potential
challenges, our study investigates, whether and how
cultural differen ces in terms of work-life bounda ries affect
expatriates. Accordingly, our researchextends the current
research on work-life balance issues during expatriation
by taking account of the cross-cultural dimension.
Second, building on existing theories and our empirical
findings we develop a typology of four work-life
boundary adjustment styles expatriates employ depending
on the specific circumstance of their work and lifeabroad:
ethnocentric, flexible, localized, and disconnected. Those
styles are conceptualized as a function of (1) expatriates
perceived pressure to adjust and (2) their willingness to
adjust. Analyzing which adjustment styles expatriates
apply is important, as prior research proposed that the fit
of ones preferred enactment of boundaries with the
enacted boundaries of ones environment is crucial in
termsofcriticalworkoutcomessuchasstressor
satisfaction (Kreiner et al., 2009). Supporting this, our
findings indicate a relationship between the adjustment
styles and work-life balance satisfaction.
Work-life boundaries and boundary
management
Every day, people decide how much time and effort they
devote to their working life vis-à-vis spending time with
friends and familyin their private life. Domestic work-life
boundary research has analyzed this phenomenon from
the perspective of work-family or work-life boundary
dynamics (e.g. Bulger et al., 2007; Campos et al., 2009;
Matthews et al., 2010). Within the work-life literature,
two main theorie s have emerged: bo undary theory and
border theory (for a review see Allen et al., 2014). Both
theories are rooted in role theory, assuming that people
play different roles in different domains of their life and
that managing these roles can create both order and
conflict. Since both theories share conceptual similarities,
we will only refer to the term work-life boundaries in the
following (Allen et al., 2014).
Boundary theory is based on the initial work of
Nippert-Eng (1996) and was further developed by
Ashforth et al. (2000). Boundary theory proposes that
work-life boundaries can be either thick and inflexible,
or thin and permeablein both directions. Integration from
work into life refers to activities such as thinking or
talking about work at home (Carlson and Frone, 2003)
while integration of life into work is demonstrated by
talking about private life at work or being open to
interruptions by family and private contacts during
working hours (Matthews et al., 2010; Olson-Buchanan
and Boswell, 2006).Work-life boundary research has
examined different ways how individuals manage their
work-life boundaries. Boundary management styles are
defined as a general approach a person uses to demarcate
and regulate boundaries between work and private life
(Kossek and Lautsch, 2012). Most frequently, scholars
differentiate ways individuals organize and juxtapose
work and life on the segmentation-integration continuum
(Bulger et al., 2007; Nippert-Eng , 1996). Segme ntation
is characterizedby impermeable and inflexibleboundaries
(Kreiner, 2006). Individuals with a strong segmentation
tend to mentally,behaviorally, physically, and temporally
separate work and life roles (Nippert-Eng, 1996). On the
contrary, integration goes along with more permeable
and flexible boundaries up to no distinction between
domains (Allen, 2013). Similarly to Nippert-Engs
categorization, Keiner et al. (2009) identified four tactics
to manage work-life boundaries: behavioral (e.g.
leveraging technology); temporal (e.g. control working
time); physical(e.g. creating physicalspace between work
and home); and communicative (e.g. setting
expectations). Kossek et al. (2012) highlighted different
boundary management styles based on the function of
three elements: the degree of allowance of cross-role
interruption behaviors (high/low); the identity centrality,
or salience of work and life roles (dual/mono-centric);
and the perceived control of the boundary (high/low).
Building on this, they refer to six roles: work warriors;
overwhelmed reactors; family guardians; fusion lovers;
dividers; and non-work-eclectics. The work warriors, for
instance, are characterized by high work-to-non-work
interruptions allowance, a work-centric attitude and low
358 A.K. Bader et al.
©2016 European Academy of Management

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