Abstract
This chapter focuses on the interactions between mezzo and micro levels of analysis: i.e. it discusses the firm–employee relationship in terms of the clashes of interests and identities. The results from my empirical study demonstrate that the clashes in interests within and across levels of analysis and the related multilevel narratives trigger identity work at the level of the individual. I thus first discuss how agency theory, which deals with the principal–agent relationships, conflicts about priorities by different parties to these relationships, and the related power struggles, can inform the impact of multilevel narratives on assignment outcomes for inter-employee, inter-assignee, inter-entity, and firm–employee collaboration (see Sect.
10.1). Since role transitions, social categorisation, and identity work are featured more prominently in the study, these are the focal part of my theorising and, as such, the primary theoretical contribution of the empirical study. In the second part of the chapter (i.e. Sect.
10.2), I therefore discuss how my findings contribute to role (transition), social categorisation, and social identity theories by showing the particularities of role transitions, social categorisation, and identity work for international assignees (and to a limited extent their colleagues and business partners) and their implications for international assignment management in the context of emerging market firms.