International employee identity structure and context, and impact on turnover intent

Prior research by drawing from social exchange theory argues that reciprocity is inevitable as organizational support enables employee affective commitment. We content that reciprocity is neither axiomatic, nor inevitable. Rather, it is situation-dependent. What we observe are international employees in the MNCs’ environment therein reciprocity is shaped and enforced by the rapidly changing and adaptive social-psychological norms. Hence, we develop an integrated approach to reciprocity by examining adaption and cooperation, in relation to turnover intent in the expatriation and repatriation cycle. Draw on data from a sample of 150 recent returnees at Chinese MNCs, we find that reciprocity emerges from international employees’ adaption mechanisms, especially, their ‘adaption- biased norms’, leading to ‘cultural intelligence’. Cultural intelligence with greater exposure to culturally variant groups strengthens adaption conformity, ‘psychological contract’, and moderates turnover intents onsite of both expatriation and repatriation. Thereby social norms and organizational support enact international sojourners seeking out absorbing successful practices in the MNC’s environment.