Expatriate academics and managing diversity: a Korean host university’s perspective

Interest in the careers of expatriate academics has rapidly grown in recent years. The specified organizational and cultural norms to which a host-university expects expatriate academics to conform, however, have been left largely unexplored. A conjoined question, too, is whether or not the university is successfully managing for diversity. The present research therefore examines input from six senior managers at a leading Korean university, finding that it has its own expectations for expatriate academics although these expectations are not formally codified. The case university does not expect outstanding research from them because of acknowledged limitations in the research environment. Managers are satisfied with the teaching of expatriate academics with caveats, but their participation in service activities is a perceived challenge. This, language deficiency, and absences over paid term breaks diminish ‘we-ness’ and positive perceptions of expatriate faculty. Change, however, may come in time. For now, some colleges and departments may be defending the status quo rather than pursuing true ‘Leadership Practices for Diversity,’ but there are nonetheless positive developments in some academic units; expatriate academics are making their way up the ranks, and university level initiatives suggest that more change could be around the corner.