Workplace discrimination and overqualification among self-initiated expatriates: The moderating role of organizational legitimacy

Alexei Koveshnikov and Miikka J. Lehtonen

Journal of International Management, 2025, vol. 31, issue 3

Abstract: Drawing on relative deprivation theory, this study develops a model to examine whether perceived overqualification and workplace discrimination negatively influence self-initiated expatriates' (SIE) expatriation satisfaction. Additionally, it investigates whether organizational legitimacy and status moderate these relationships. Analyzing a sample of 379 SIEs living and working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), we find that workplace discrimination significantly reduces SIEs' overall expatriation satisfaction. However, this negative effect diminishes when SIEs perceive their host organization as having high sociopolitical legitimacy. Conversely, the negative impact of workplace discrimination strengthens when SIEs view their host organization's status as high. In contrast, perceived overqualification has no effect on SIEs' expatriation satisfaction, regardless of the host organization's legitimacy or status. This study contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the effects of workplace discrimination and overqualification on SIEs' expatriation experiences. It also elucidates the crucial role of sociopolitical legitimacy and organizational status in shaping SIEs' s responses to negative expatriation experiences.

Keywords: Discrimination; Organizational legitimacy; Overqualification; Relative deprivation theory; Self-initiated expatriates (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1016/j.intman.2025.101252

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