In this final chapter, a summary of the main findings of the research is first reviewed.
Implications for TCK individuals and organizations are discussed. Suggestions for future studies are then given. The limitations of this study are then noted before a conclusion is given.
Findings Review
The main findings of this research are summarized Table 5.1. In response to the first research question, a brief description of the TCK job search process is described, highlighting several issues that pertain specifically to TCKs. The factors that TCKs consider and value in a job are then presented. Some of these factors do appear to relate back to their TCK experiences. These factors include the desire for autonomy and control in their jobs, who they work with (colleagues and supervisors), variety in the job content, and opportunity for growth and development. Then the changes in value and attitude towards work that took place as TCKs moved into different seasons of their lives were presented and the section ended with some of the TCKs’ reflection on their career life so far. A few of them mentioned that they wish they had less detours in their careers.
The second research question is regarding how the TCK experience has helped to shape certain qualities and traits that may help or hinder TCKs in adapting to their workplace. In this research, participants are found to be mostly adaptable and the assurance of their ability to continue to be adaptable brings them confidence. TCKs tend to be responsible and trustworthy; they have a broadened perspective which allows them to be a bridge or mediator between people. TCKs often have access to more resources and as a result, may be prone to develop multiple interests. In this research, many participants have the relationship tendency to maintain a large number of relationships that are more on the surface level, which is an effective strategy in work relationships, but not so effective in personal relationships. Finally, the results show that different participants have different levels of comfort and acceptance concerning their hybrid
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identity. Some are sure and comfortable with their identity as an international individual, while others are not so comfortable with the idea of being a cultural hybrid.
The last research question concerns the specific strategies, skills, and abilities that TCKs employ to help them overcome challenges at work and to adapt to the workplace.
Some TCKs let go of the past and focus on engaging in what is before them now. They do that sometimes by reaching out to others. Others TCKs take time to observe to find out what is appropriate and what is not. Finally, in dealing with people and problems, TCKs will often allow others to fully express themselves before jumping to conclusions.
In Figure 5.1, the findings are presented to show the paradoxical nature of the many issues that TCKs deal with.
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Potentially Beneficial Potentially Problematic
A broadened perspective
Ability to tolerate, acceptance of differences
Ability to have the patience to allow others to fully express themselves
Ability to embrace international identity
Access to more resources, more resourceful
Development of multiple interests and connections
Chameleon-like
Serves as a bridge between people and cultures
Good at Reaching Out to Others
Can get along with many types of people
Confused Identity
Discomfort with hybrid identity
Confused loyalty
Sense of being trapped in the margins
Compromise/Vacillating views
Others may view them as inconsistent
Developing large number of relationships but shallow roots
Effective mode for work relationship
Not as effective for personal relationships
Lack depth in relationships
Lack sense of belonging Need for variety & opportunity for growth and development
Ability to handle new things well Constant need for new stimulants Independence / Sense of responsibility & trustworthiness
Enjoys autonomy
Adaptability and Confidence Feeling even more fearful than non-TCKs Letting go of the past and engaging in the present
Effective strategy for work, helpful for adaptation and facing changes
Can easily throw away the past
Lack the sense of connection to past
Sense of fragmented life Use of observation skills
Helpful for adaptation
Help to develop chameleon-like quality (Useful at work)
Help to develop chameleon-like quality (May hinder development of personal identity)
May compromise personal feelings, values, and patterns of behavior to fit in
Figure 5.1. Summary of findings and related TCK characteristics as potentially beneficial or problematic.
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Implications
In this section of the chapter, implications for individual TCKs and implications for organizations working with TCKs are given separately.
For TCKs
Building deeper relationships and continuity into their lives.
As seen earlier in the discussion, TCKs and their skills such as the ability to mix with diverse groups of people while managing to retain a sense of detachment are fairly effective in the workplace, where relationships do not necessarily need to be deep, but can remain casual and friendly. However, in their personal lives, it is important for TCKs to remember that they need to develop a healthy balance of different types of relationships.
So while they should draw upon their strengths, and continue to build work relations, they should also learn to allow themselves to go a little bit deeper and get a little more involved with those around them.
A related suggestion for TCKs to build some continuity into their lives may help to establish a deeper sense of connection to one’s past. One way to do that may be making a conscious effort to keep in touch with a manageable number of friends from the past, even if it is just one or two. Having connections to the past may better help TCKs to link their present with their past and to see it as a coherent experience, rather than have loose pieces here and there.
It may be helpful to keep in mind that skills needed at work can sometimes be a little different from skills needed in one’s personal life. It would probably be wise to think about where best to apply certain skills and where it is necessary to make some adjustments to old habits from the past.
Being aware of the “migratory instinct.”
When considering exploring job options, TCKs should remember that while it is good to explore, they must have the wisdom to discern whether it is a reasonable exploration of different career possibilities, or whether they have simply fallen prey to the migratory instinct and are making choices based on their sense of restlessness without
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realizing the harmful effects it can have on the development of one’s career. A constant craving for change and a longing for newness may not necessarily be beneficial for the development of a career.
For new TCK employees.
Many participants describe the tendency to first observe and stay low-key before getting involved in a new place. And although observing is generally a good idea, it is also important to communicate a sense of genuine interest in what is going on around you to avoid misunderstandings from colleagues and managers.
For Organizations Working with TCKs
Working with new TCK employees.
Understand that some TCKs tend to error on the cautious side when they first start out in a new place, preferring to stay out of the limelight and spend some time watching and observing others to get their bearings. It may be helpful to give them some time to adjust before interpreting their aloofness as a sign of disinterest or arrogance. It is likely that these TCKs are simply taking some time to figure out how they can best ease into the situation and will start to participate and be more involved after they grow more comfortable with the new environment.
TCKs as bridges between different groups of people.
Managers may consider TCKs for positions where they have the opportunity to work with different kinds of people. TCKs tend to be good at being the lubricant and being the mediator between different groups of people within an organization. As employers who are interested in the holistic well-being of their employees, managers can encourage TCKs to develop deeper relationships in their personal lives as well as within the organization so that it helps them get a sense of belonging and a sense that they are rooted and grounded. This will likely increase their desire to stay with the organization as well.
TCKs and their love for variety.
TCKs may perform well in positions where they have a chance to work with a variety of projects so that they are kept excited about learning new things. Job rotations
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in different functions and departments across the organization may also help them to stay fresh and enthusiastic about their jobs.
TCKs and their ability to work independently.
TCK employees tend to handle autonomy in a responsible way because many are used to working independently. Their conscientiousness, sense of responsibility and their desire to prove themselves trustworthy helps to keep them accountable in their work. On the other hand, TCKs who are managers may need to realize that not everyone is as comfortable with autonomy as they are and that at times, they may need to offer more guidance and support for those that need more direction within their work.
TCKs in an uncertain work environment.
The ability for TCKs to remain confident and fearless in the face of the unknown makes them particularly suited for the fast-paced and uncertain work environment of today. This fearlessness, when combined with the patience to observe and to allow others to fully express their views, gives them the prudence needed to make informed and wise decisions. Thus organizations may consider sending TCKs to set up new offices, work on new projects, or develop new clients as they are not often threatened by changes and the unknown.
TCKs as individuals.
It would be wise to know that TCKs, just like any group of people, consist of different personalities, different backgrounds, different cultural mixes, and different attitudes. While they may share certain characteristics, each TCK is nonetheless a unique individual and should be known as one. So the traits and characteristics described in the research are to be used only as a reference. Each organization still should allow for individual differences in each of their TCK employees and find out what their strengths and shortcomings are, what their preferences and dislikes are, and the roles that they should play in order to most effectively contribute to the organization.
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Suggestions for Future Studies
Comparisons between siblings and different genders.
Direction for future studies includes the comparison of the experiences of TCK siblings. Even though they lived in the same places, often attended the same schools, and had grown up with the same family upbringing, their interpretation of these experiences can be vastly different. A few pairs of siblings were interviewed for this study. When they spoke of their general TCK experiences, they shared different sentiments, attitudes, and perspectives. These studies could raise issues concerning birth order, and the age(s) at which move(s) are made. This may be helpful for parents of TCKs to know how to help each of their kids, understanding that the adjustment process may differ between siblings. A comparative study using gender as a variable may also yield interesting results.
Study of long-term TCK career processes.
Examination of TCKs and their career choice process and adaptation at different ages can also make fascinating research studies. For the most part, TCKs in this research are fairly young still and are in relatively early stages of their careers lives. It would be interesting to see what picture may emerge when the career choices and career patterns of TCKs are studied over a lifetime to get a long-term view of their careers and career choice process.
Studies comparing TCKs in different host cultures.
Further studies could explore the combinations of cultures that a TCK may experience and the effects that this specific mixture of cultures may have on his or her career choices and adaptation. For example, TCKs who had lived in several East Asian countries that share similar Confucian influence may choose careers and adapt to the workplace differently from someone who has had to straddle a combination of very different cultures such as African culture and Asian culture. The distance that a TCK has to negotiate between his or her home cultures and host cultures may greatly affect a TCK experience.
Other studies can make comparisons between TCKs who live in host nations that are economically developed and relatively prosperous versus TCKs that grow up in nations
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that are not as developed. Another variable for future studies could be the TCK’s choice of country or countries in which they decide to work and whether or not that makes a difference to their adaptation and the strategies they choose to use.
In this research, I have intentionally tried to look for two types of participants. A little over half (11) of the participants have lived in two cultures before the age of 18, while the rest (9) have lived in three or more cultures before the age of 18. Although in answering the research questions using data collected from these two groups of people, I did not find obvious differences between the two groups, there may very well be significant differences between the two types of TCKs. Differences in the number of cultures that one experiences imply differences in the amount of time spent in each culture and the differing level of familiarity with each culture. Continued research more focused in comparing the differences between these two groups of TCKs may yield further insight on the issue of identity.
Comparing TCKs of different family background.
The family background of TCKs can also be used as a variable to compare the experiences of TCKs and their career choice process and adaptation. The values and upbringing of a military family would be very different from that of a missionary family, or the family of a business expatriate. TCKs from missionary families probably socialize with a different set of people than TCKs from diplomatic families. The level of contact with the local host culture also differs for TCKs of different family background. These factors all affect the TCK experience and may thus impact subsequent career choices and adaptation.
Limitations
This is a qualitative study based on interviews done with twenty individuals. The findings of this research can only speak for the experiences of these participants for no two TCKs have the same experience, not even siblings within the same family, and even if they did, no one interprets an experience the same way. Although the results cannot represent the experiences of anyone else, the findings from the interviews do give great richness in details that cannot be collected from quantitative studies. Knowing the
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details about the lives of these TCKs is useful to further understand and explore the TCK phenomenon.
The interview participants are overwhelmingly Asian in ethnicity, with the exception of one American who has lived in Taiwan for the majority of his life. Although host countries represented in the study are diverse, these TCKs are still deeply influenced by Asian culture and are likely to interpret their experiences through Asian values and filters, which may create a bias different from other cultures. This however is useful because this constant variable can provide some control and stability to the study so that more focus can be placed on comparing other variables.
Most of the data is gathered through interviews, which are the interviewees’
interpretations of their experiences. And as is the case with all qualitative studies, the data collected and the analysis of the data is also subject to the personal bias of the researcher. However, as long as these possible biases are pointed out, and readers are made aware, the insider understanding of the topic under study may be helpful and may bring a deeper perspective than if the researcher was not part of the in-group. Again, the results of this study are not representative of all TCKs, and should not be flippantly generalized to the rest of the TCK population.
Conclusion
A Variety of Experiences
The present study, with twenty TCKs, again testifies to what has already been observed about the TCK phenomenon, and that is the fact that the TCK experience is complex and can hold many paradoxes and extremes.
While they appear to enjoy freedom traversing between nations, cultures and people groups, sometimes there seems to be the sense that TCKs are trapped in cultural and social margins physically and psychologically. They enjoy many opportunities to learn about the world in which they live in, they often have access to more resources simply because they have been able to experience more, and yet all that they have been exposed to may become overwhelming and create confusion in identity and allegiance for them.
On the issue of identity, some of the TCKs comfortably identify themselves as an
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international person, while others are still trying to come to terms with their hybrid identity.
For some, the transience of TCK experiences pushes them to dive into the present and immediately take full part in what is happening now without lingering on the past.
For others, the unfamiliarity of each new environment moves them to be cautious and to stay out of the limelight when first entering an unfamiliar setting.
While TCKs crave for freedom and autonomy, there is also a cry for belonging and for connection to others. In their relationships, their ability to be partially involved in all groups allows them to enjoy different types of people, but to be attached to none. They walk in the margins of cultures, and of social groups within their personal lives, sometimes afraid to be pinned down. They try to straddle all; they enjoy variety, but sometimes lack the depth and the intimacy of full-heartedly belonging to any one culture, or social group.
These qualities may help TCKs to be relatively successful in work relationships.
TCKs often find it easy to communicate with many kinds of people, to identify things in common with others, and are thus able to quickly build rapport. Although they express confidence in the management of their work relationships, these same TCKs often admit the inability to get close to others in personal relationships.
TCKs are often trusted and have the credibility to have a say among many groups, but their desire to accommodate everyone and their tendency to be diplomatic may hinder their ability to freely express themselves. These phenomena demonstrate the intensity and the complexity of the TCK experience and demonstrates how each individual
TCKs are often trusted and have the credibility to have a say among many groups, but their desire to accommodate everyone and their tendency to be diplomatic may hinder their ability to freely express themselves. These phenomena demonstrate the intensity and the complexity of the TCK experience and demonstrates how each individual