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Sub-theme 37: International Migration, Work and Organization

Convenors:
Jelena Zikic
York University, Toronto, Canada
Kyoung-Hee Yu
University of New South Wales, Australia
Robert MacKenzie
University of Leeds, UK

Call for Papers

Migration and work-based mobility has become more ubiquitous today than ever before (OECD, 2013). Migrants and their relationships to host societies and institutions have been studied from many different perspectives (e.g., sociological, psychological, economic and labor perspectives) but still remain understudied by organizational scholars (Binggeli et al., 2013). In this sub-theme, in accordance with the overall Colloquium theme, we seek to create reflexive exchange between scholars involved in studying migration and its consequences for individuals, organizations and societies. Migrants' lives are filled with logos relating to migration motivations as well pathos accompanying their journeys. In addition, power structures as well as cultural pressures affect migration and acculturation.

Our goal is to bring together scholars interested in formulating a multidisciplinary approach to better understand migrant relationships with the workplace, labour market, culture as well as society of the host country. The magnitude of the work and life transition calls for understanding both micro career forces and adaptation (Zikic et al., 2010), as well as macro structural and institutional factors that frame the migration experience (Reitz et al., 2014; Fang et al., 2009). We are interested in both high-skilled as well as low-skilled migration, second generation issues as well as permanent and circular/return migration (Tung, 2008). Organization studies remain focused on the most privileged migrants, while countries continue to rely on unskilled migrants in building their economic success. Hence, unskilled migration remains a hidden facet of organizations. We seek to understand how studying migrants in the organizational context can be informed and enriched by research in related disciplines, such as sociology and geography (e.g., Boyd & Schellenberg, 2007; Bauder, 2003).

In keeping with the EGOS Colloquium 2015 theme, we ask how migration broadens the notion of diversity in organizations, as well as what responsibilities organizations have to this facet of globalization. The goal is to understand positive as well as negative outcomes of immigrant diversity at the individual, societal as well organizational level. Topics papers might address – by no means exhaustive – are as follows:

  • What distinguishes today's migration pattern from yester years?
  • How may migrants change or diversify our societies? How does migration fundamentally or temporarily transform identities, practices, and induce cross cultural fertilization and learning in the workplace?
  • How does migration complicate our understanding of "bringing your whole self to work" (Conger, 1994; Pratt & Ashforth, 2003) and the relationship between work and community?
  • How do organizations foster or deter migration and the integration of migrants into workplaces? How can organizations benefit from bicultural and multicultural workers?
  • How do individuals construct careers and mobility for themselves, whether with or without help from organizations? How do migrants construct meaning out of their work? Under what conditions do migrants engage in collective action to exert their rights (Yu, 2014)?
  • How are patterns of immigrant entrepreneurship impacting host and origin economies?
  • How can organizational and management studies become more open to migration, theoretically and practically?
  • What can be done at the institutional levels, both in the host and origin countries, to improve the situation of migrants and of organizations employing them?
  • How do migrant experiences compare across continents?

 

 

References

  • Bauder, H. (2003): "'Brain abuse', or the devaluation of immigrant labour in Canada." Antipode, 35 (4), 699–717.
  • Binggeli, S., Dietz, J., & Krings, F. (2013): "Immigrants: A forgotten minority." Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 6 (1), 107–113.
  • Boyd, M., & Schellenberg, G. (2007): "Re-accreditation and the occupations of immigrant doctors and engineers." Canadian Social Trends, 84 (September), 2–8.
  • Conger, J.A. (1994): Spirit at Work: Discovering the Spirituality in Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Fang, T., Zikic, J., & Novicevic, M.N. (2009): "Career success of immigrant professionals: stock and flow of their career capital." International Journal of Manpower, 30 (5), 472–488.
  • Pratt, M.G., & Ashforth, B.E. (2003): "Fostering meaningfulness in working and at work." In: K.S. Cameron, J.E. Dutton & R.E. Quinn (eds.): Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New Discipline. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, pp. 309–327.
  • Reitz, J.G., Curtis, J., & Elrick, J. (2014): "Immigrant skill utilization: trends and policy issues." Journal of International Migration and Integration, 15 (1), 1–26.
  • Yu, K-H. (2014): "Organizing immigrants: meaning generation in the community." Work, Employment and Society, 28 (3), 355–371.
  • OECD ( 2013): International Migration Outlook 2013. Geneva: OECD.
  • United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2011): International Migration Report 2009: A Global Assessment, ST/ESA/SER.A/316). New York: United Nations.
  • Zikic, J., Bonache, J., & Cerdin J-L. (2010): "Crossing national boundaries: A typology of qualified immigrants' career orientations." Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31 (5), 667 –686.

 

Jelena Zikic is an Associate Professor at York University, School of Human Resource Management, Toronto, Canada. She developed her expertise in the area of career transitions, stress and coping. Her research interests focus on individual and organizational career management issues of diverse populations, migrants most recently. Her work has appeared in journals such as 'Journal of Organizational Behavior', 'Human Relations', 'Journal of Vocational Behavior', 'Journal of Managerial Psychology', and 'Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology', among others. She has served as sub-theme convenor in the past for several Colloquia.
Kyoung-Hee Yu is a Senior Lecturer at the Australian School of Business, University of New South Wales, Australia. Her research has focused on institutional and organisational change processes affecting work and employment. Her recent work has examined the mobility of work under globalisation, organisational responses to pressures from social movements, and comparative employment relations in the Asian context. She serves as book review editor and Editorial Board member of 'Organization Studies'.
Robert MacKenzie is Professor of Work and Employment at Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, UK. His interest in labour market change and contingent employment practices developed over various research areas have led to his work on the social and economic experience of migrant workers, asylum seekers and refugees. The socio-economic processes and mechanisms that regulate the labour market activity and broader community based experiences have become key points of interest. His work on employment and restructuring has been published in 'Organization Studies'.