Self-initiated expatriation (SIE) has become a rising phenomenon and has drawn much attention from the academic field. Despite the growing attention drawn to SIE, the exploration of self-initiated expatriates on the corporate agenda is under-researched. This aims to identify growth strategies and understand how individual strategies of SIE affect the growing recognition and need for SIEs. Growth strategies of SIEs are identified by means of a systematic literature review. By combining the growth strategies and changing the behavioral rules, we propose a comprehensive conceptual framework by introducing both of the individual heterogeneously driven approaches. Based on empirical research, the paper provides a comprehensive picture of individual growth strategies for successful career management of SIEs and offers new impulses to manage SIEs. Expatriate growth in the global workforce provides a conceptual foundation for future empirical research. Moreover, regulatory focus theory has been used to illustrate the antecedents of growth strategies from the behavioral perspective, thereby making a theoretical contribution to the research field of international HRM, expatriate management, SIEs, and growth strategies for career management.
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