Towards smooth transition: Enhancing participation of expatriates in academic context

The current study deals with one of the most important issues and challenges of globalization prevalent in most governmental and private organizations due to high-rise multiculturalism in institutions. The study is an attempt to identify challenges faced by the female expatriate faculty at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia, concerning the impact of academic, social, and cultural life and aspects on the productivity of the organization. The study is based on the stages included in the ”rites of passage” with its threefold model: separation, transition, and incorporation/re-aggregation. The study adopts a basic qualitative descriptive design as it examines the way expatriate academics share real-life experiences using their perspectives. Focus group interviews have been the main research instrument. Eighteen expatriate faculty members working in three colleges under Prince Sattam University, KSA, were the participants. The findings of the study revealed that despite facing many hardships during the periods of separation and transition, the expatriate female faculty members gradually adapted to the period of aggregation and continued to work at the same university, thus enhancing the productivity of the organization. Future studies that will evolve from this study have the potential for positive social change to improve the quality of work experiences for female expatriates that work in higher education.