Changing Places in a Small World
Natalie Allen
The University of Western Ontario
As promised in the last issue of TIP, this column will be devoted to hearing SIOP members describe their international work experiences or IWEs. Our first visiting columnist is
Tom Becker from the Department of Business Administration at the University of Delaware. Tom received his PhD from Ohio State and will be familiar to many of you for, among other things, his extensive research on the foci of employee commitment. I was extremely pleased when Tom agreed to sit down, electronically speaking, and answer some questions about his recent 6-month sabbatical in Belgium. He has several specific suggestions for people considering an overseas sabbatical and, as you will see, an infectious enthusiasm for (most) of the experience.
An American in Brussels
Tom Becker
University of Delaware
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Where and when was your international work experience (IWE), and what motivated you to choose that particular location? I did the last half of my sabbatical near Brussels, Belgium from January to July 2003. I chose that location because I had been selected as the Franqui International Chair in the Human Sciences and, as part of this appointment, was working at the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve. This position occurred because
Christian Vandenberghe, a Belgian researcher in the area of employee commitment (now at HEC Montral), approached me at the San Diego SIOP conference and introduced himself. Afterwards, we stayed in communication by exchanging research ideas and related articles and papers. At some point, Christian recommended that he submit a proposal nominating me for the Franqui position. This required the involvement of researchers at three other universities in Belgium because the criteria for selection included broad involvement of multiple universities in the activities of the chosen scientist. To make a long story short, the nomination process went well, I was selected, and my wife (LuAnn), younger son (Charlie, aged 10), and I crossed the pond. My older son, Jake, was attending college and remained in the U.S.
What kind of work did you do while you were in Belgium? The Franqui appointment required that I give a number of seminars on commitment topics at different universities. For example, I did talks on multiple commitments and links to motivation at the University of Liege, on commitment and leadership at Ghent University, and on the processes through which commitment affects behavior at Louvain-la-Neuve. I conducted a total of 10 seminars, most of which were attended by faculty and graduate students.
In addition, I continued my normal research agenda, including a project on problems with the statistical control of variables in I-O, another on the development of a situational judgment test of employee integrity, and one on the relationships between forms of commitment (Meyer and Allens affective, normative, and continuance concepts) and bases of commitment (identification and shared values). In addition, Christian and I collected data on the effects of personality and type of instructions on reactions to computer adaptive testing (with
Scott Tonidandel) and completed a study on the link between manager integrity and employee commitment. This last project led to a presentation that Christian and I gave at the European Congress on Work and Organizational Psychology in Lisbon, Portugal. (Yes, that was cool.)
The final event was an all-day colloquium entitled Conceptual and Methodological Advances in the Study of Employee Commitment. This event was organized by Christian and was an international affair attended by scholars from throughout Europe. I was especially grateful that
John Meyer and Bob Vandenberg made the long trip from Canada and the U.S., respectively. Johnny Fontaine (my favorite name ever) from Gent Rijks University did a talk on commitment and worker health, Bob Vandenberg spoke about methodological challenges in commitment research, John Meyer discussed cross-cultural generalizability of the three-component model, and Christian presented new work on the role of perceived sacrifice and employment alternatives on the link between commitment and turnover. In my invited address, I proposed a model of how commitment affects job behavior and discussed testable propositions derived from the model. The colloquium ended with the five of us serving on a panel discussion and taking questions from the audience.
Of course, we took time to get to know each other better and enjoy each others company, too. This led to several promising collaborations. For example, John Meyer, Christian, and I ended up developing an integrative model of commitment and motivation that has just been published in JAP. In addition,
Rolf van Dick, an identification scholar from Germany (now employed at Aston University in the UK) attended the colloquium and invited John Meyer and me to join him in guest editing a special issue of the
Journal of Organizational Behavior on employee identification and commitment topics.
What did you do for fun, and how did your family react to the IWE? In truth, the initial reaction was not pleasant. Our first apartment was near downtown Brussels, and when LuAnn, Charlie, and I arrived on January 1st, the world was dark and cold. We didnt know where anything was and simply getting food and other essentials was a challenge, especially given the language barrier. At this particular location in Brussels, English was not as widely spoken as we had heard, and my French was never more than barely passable. Another surprise was that the electrical voltage is higher in Europe than in the U.S., a fact I learned first hand after I blew out my electric shaver by plugging it into a socket with voltage too high for American electronics. To catch the train, I had to get up early, shower in a tiny stall, and take a long walk in freezing weather. LuAnn later confessed that she was tempted to take Charlie and go home.
However, as we slowly accommodated and, in particular, when we moved into a new apartment, life improved. The new place was a lovely little flat about two blocks from where I worked, and I would often come home to have lunch with my family, something that, due to distance, culture, and our schedules, I seldom do here. Indeed, our major source of fun during this time was each others company. There were only one or two TV stations that broadcast shows in English, so we had to find other things to dothings like taking walks, going for a run around a nearby lake, reading, and playing cards. Charlie became fast friends with several ponies that were fenced nearby, and we would often visit to pet them and feed them carrots. LuAnn and I enjoyed eating and drinking at nearby restaurants. (Yes, Belgian beer is as varied and as tasty as you have heard.) LuAnn and I have often remarked that our family was closer in Belgium than we have been before or since, and I suspect this was mostly because we were together more often. The initially strange surroundings and the language barrier probably tightened our bonds further.
Another activity we loved was traveling. We saw a good deal of Belgium, including the venerable guild houses and town hall of Brussels, Napoleons battlefield at Waterloo, the inspiring belfry and cathedrals of Brugge, the magnificent Castle of the Counts at Ghent, the beautiful market square of Antwerp, and the historic citadel atop Dinant. All three of us went to the conference in Lisbon, highlights of which included visiting the castle overlooking the city, the tomb of Vasco de Gama, and dining next to
Gary Latham, Milt Hakel, and their wives(!). We also visited Amsterdam (Anne Franks house, not coffeehouses), England, Germany, France, and Italy. While we were in Belgium, several friends and family members came to visit, and I think we took them all to Paris. My sincere recommendation is that you and your loved ones see the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower before you die. Bring your appetite because youll never get better food anywhere. As for Italy, we only spent 3 days in Rome, but none of us will ever forget the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Vatican, and the one million other sights, sounds, and smells that make this one of the greatest cities ever. One word on the Sistine Chapel, regarding a mystery worthy of a Dan Brown novel: When you walk into the chapel, everyone will be looking at Michelangelos famous ceiling. Instead, look to your left on the wall immediately behind you. Theres a man with a large, green snake wrapped around him. Out of respect for the PG rating of TIP, Ill say no more. Question: How did this particular drawing ever get by the Pope?!
As an aside, we were abroad during the period of high tension between the U.S. and Europe over the war. Friends back in America expressed their concern for our living and traveling here during that time, but we never experienced anything resembling hostility. Two minor events that were, at the most, slightly unpleasant did occur. We were in Paris when some in the U.S. were calling French fries freedom fries, and things of that nature. We walked into a nice caf near the Eiffel Tower for lunch, and when we began talking to each other in English, people around us stopped speaking and appeared to be checking us out. Nobody said anything mean and no one moved to another table. The service was fine. The other event was at a party back in Belgium. One guest said something negative about President Bush and another person, trying to avoid conflict, said to me, Thats okay: We know you didnt elect him. My interpretation of these two events and the whole America-versus-Europe thing was that many Europeans were upset at the U.S. in general, but not Americans specifically, and that broad statements such as The French are rude, and Europe is dangerous were and are irrational generalizations promulgated by small minds and a media desperate for something meaningful to say.
In sum, our initial reaction to our IWE was horror, then a growing curiosity and fondness, then love. Kind of what I imagine LuAnns response to me was during the period of our courtship. (I hope thats a joke.)
What advice would you give to SIOP members interested in IWEs? First, I strongly recommend that you pursue an IWE if your circumstances make it feasible. Further, based on my experiences, I have the following five suggestions:
Try to attain a meaningful work assignment. What this meant for me was a job in which I could keep making progress on my research projects and hopefully initiate some new ones. It also meant meeting some new, productive people and developing long-term working relationships. I got lucky in that a terrific colleague, Christian, sought me out and helped me get a wonderful position, introduced me to other researchers, and expressed a desire to work together. I doubt I will be so lucky again, so I expect to be more proactive in finding an assignment the next time around.
Find a convenient geographical location in an interesting place. Belgium is a very central spot, and one can be in London, Paris, Munich, Rome, and so on in about the same time I can drive to New York or Washington from my present location in Newark, Delaware. Another thing that made Belgium great was the easy access to subways, boats, trains, and planes that allow easy access to numerous local and more distant destinations. Of course, you may prefer to do your IWE in Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, or somewhere else. Regardless, living in a central location with ample, reliable transportation will probably make your experience more rewarding, especially if youre visiting the area for the first time.
Develop good relationships with your host and other local citizens. Youll probably need the help! Christian was the best host imaginable. In addition to showing me the ropes at the university, he treated LuAnn, Charlie, and me like close friends. For example, we spent our first night abroad, New Years eve, at his home where his wife, Corine, and children (Stephanie, Helene, and Francois) and friends made us feel very welcome indeed. Later, Christian showed us around town and introduced us to the better places to eat. One of his graduate students, Julie, was kind enough to loan us dishes and silverware for the duration of our stay, and our department secretary, Dominique, helped us move our belongings from the first apartment to the second. We thanked these good people for their benevolence, time, and effort, but I am certain it did not adequately repay their kindness. If youre fortunate, you will have the honor of working with people like this.
Take time to see the world around you, and have some fun! I hope you dont need to be told this, but if youre like me, you do. For most of us, its easy to get immersed in workthat is our blessing and our curse. The balance between work and nonwork activities that many of us wrestle to attain in our normal lives takes on increased significance on an IWE. On one hand, we may want to get new projects off the ground, establish an effective work routine, and impress our new colleagues, activities that may be in the best interests of our productivity and careers. So, right when youre in a position to see and do more fun, exciting stuff, you might be putting in longer and harder hours on the job. As with other dilemmas, awareness is curative. When you get back to the U.S., some of your best memories should be of places visited, sights seen, and fun had with new and old friends. This should be evidenced by the impressive pictures and magnets that you put on your fridge. Im pretty sure you can do this and get plenty of work done too.
Take your loved ones if you can. I wager that sharing an IWE with someone you love generally makes the experience more valuable, for at least two reasons. First, during the transition times, the lost-luggage times, the why-cant-everyone-just-speak-English times, it helps tremendously to have a little moral support. Im big on independent thinking and individualism, but this doesnt mean that alone and lonely is a desirable state. In fact, alone and lonely in a strange land would be a particularly unhappy problem. Love is the solution. Second, sharing the experience lets you enjoy it in ways not possible by yourself. Holding LuAnns hand in a boat trip down the Seine, seeing Charlies eyes light up when he first saw the Colosseum, having lunch together in a small, clean flat in Louvain-la-Neuve: these things, and a thousand like them, would not have happened had I made the trip myself.
Any final thoughts on IWEs? Just that Im really looking forward to the next one.
January 2005 Table
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