Meaning matters: exploring the impact of expatriates’ meaning in life on taking charge behavior

We utilize career construction theory to understand why and when expatriates adjust and perform well in a foreign country. We contend that expatriates possessing meaning in life (MIL), or who search for it, are motivated to augment career adaptability, which enables them to adjust as expatriates, and in turn, have the energy take charge at work. We further argue that organizational and community embeddedness impact the relationship between career adaptability and expatriate adjustment, and then the serially mediated relationship, differently. We assert that organizational embeddedness strengthens the likelihood of a positive relationship between MIL and taking charge behavior via career adaptability and expatriate adjustment, whereas community embeddedness reduces the positive association between the two via career adaptability and expatriate adjustment. Using a sample of 344 expatriates and collecting data in four waves, we tested our theoretical model, and our results provide general support for our hypotheses. We discuss theoretical and practical implications, and opportunities for future research.