Personality and Work Success among Expatriate Educational Leaders in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Few studies have examined expatriate leadership in higher education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where expatriates make up the majority of higher education leaders. Such leaders need to be able to effectively interact with diverse colleagues despite possibly limited prior international experience and understanding of cultural differences. Such challenges can be seen to increase employee turnover, which challenges the success of Emirati higher education. This essay examines the impact of emotional intelligence, hardiness, and openness on self-reported probability of finishing contract and contract renewal of expatriate leaders in higher education in the UAE. The research can contribute to an improvement in the educational services in the UAE, and other Middle Eastern countries which feature high rates of employment of expatriate workers in higher education.