Enhancing expatriate–host country national relationships: a multi-stakeholder perspective

Purpose: Relationships between expatriates and host country nationals (HCNs) are critical to expatriate adjustment and knowledge transfer. This paper adopts a multi-stakeholder perspective to explore the conditions and organisational actions that stakeholders perceive as contributing to positive expatriate–HCN relationships.

Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative study was conducted, drawing on 25 semi-structured interviews with four stakeholder groups: expatriates, HCNs, host country line managers (HCLMs), and international HRM (IHRM) professionals, within a transformative IT project in a multinational retail organisation. Interview data were triangulated with documentary analysis of the long-term assignment policy.

Findings: Guided by Intergroup Contact Theory, the study highlights the pivotal role of HCLMs in providing supportive leadership, the value of structured onboarding, and the contribution of high-quality HR services in fostering interpersonal relations that support cross-cultural collaboration.

Practical implications: Implications for organisational policy and practice are provided to support positive expatriate and HCN relationships. Actionable measures include transparent communication on rewards and roles, the adoption of a common workplace language, intercultural training for all stakeholders, and conscious opportunities for informal contact.

Originality/value: By adopting a multi stakeholder lens that includes HCLMs and IHRM professionals, this study extends theory beyond dyadic expatriate–HCN research. It shows how interpersonal dynamics, organisational practices, and leadership behaviours shape relationship quality as a core condition for collaboration in global teams. Although outcomes were not measured, the findings highlight relational mechanisms linked to adjustment and knowledge transfer, while also identifying underexplored dynamics such as HCN envy, off work interactions, and informal communication.