Five Ways to Improve Relationships between Expatriate and Local Team Members

In 2015, I studied the relationships between expatriate and local staff in humanitarian organizations, and how human resource management can affect this. This research was done in collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières as part of my Masters Thesis. I never publicly published my research, but I feel that it at least deserves a LinkedIn post to share some of the highlights and practical implications with others who might be interested. So, without further ado, here are 5 Ways that Humanitarian Organizations can Improve Relationships between Expatriate and Local Team Members:

1. Do not categorize staff as “expatriate” or “local.” Ok this is somewhat cheating, but it needs to be said. This categorization is inherently problematic in our sector. If I would have done this research today, I would have framed my research questions differently in order to more prominently question the moral and ethical problems of this categorization, especially given my increased awareness and activism on decolonization, feminism, localization, and anti-racism. While international humanitarian organizations have been slowly shifting away from defining staff as “expatriate” / “international” or “local” / “national,” this categorization still exists in our sector, and I believe for some organizations it will remain for some time. Therefore, the remainder of the tips assume that this categorization is still in place, and that international NGOs situated in the Western / minority world are centered in humanitarian aid, while understanding that this is fundamentally flawed.
2. Listen to staff, especially marginalized staff. Create safe spaces for team members to bring up inequalities, frustrations, or conflict, as well as spaces to discuss shared goals, ways of working, and communication styles. Then act on what people say, with participation and inclusion of all voices throughout the process.
3. Address inequality in HR policies. For example:

• Recruitment. Consider job requirements first and foremost when posting vacancies, rather than nationality. If there is a clear reason why the position must be filled by either “expatriate” or “local” staff, make this transparent in the vacancy and within the organization.
• Professional development. Provide all staff with ample development opportunities, such as mobility / detachment options for staff to work internationally if they desire. Additionally, ensure 360° feedback is used in determining promotions to limit biases.
• Remuneration. Examine compensation and benefits policies, and how these differentiate between staff. Project FAIR is a great resource for this.

4. Develop a positive organizational culture and team dynamics, focusing on trust, equity, and inclusion. For example, provide time and guidance for teams to discuss group norms through a Team Charter. Design organizational structures and working spaces to encourage collaboration between staff. Do not underestimate the power of simple things, like colleagues sharing lunch together regularly.

5. Facilitate the development of a shared group identity. People tend to like people they perceive as similar to them and in their “in-group.” While the titles of “expatriate” or “local” divide staff into separate groups, organizations and team leaders can work to ensure staff connect with a superordinate identity – meaning an identity that all staff share. This could be through a shared identity of “humanitarian,” “staff of XYZ organization,” or even “someone who likes movies.”

I hope this can serve as a starting point for reflection and discussion for those within the humanitarian sector. This area is a passion of mine, and one I have spent a lot of time researching. I could write chapters and chapters on each of these bullet points, and many more points. And how to implement the sociological research practically. I wanted to keep this article relatively short and sweet, but I’d be happy to chat (or vent) with anyone about this! Also happy to hear your thoughts, critiques, and comments!