Interview Coding Document: Initial and Final Codifying Framework

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[Additional Document]

Interview Coding Document:

Initial and Final Codifying Framework

Faculty of Economics and Business MSc International Business and Management

Self-Initiated Expatriates: Exploring job satisfaction factors.

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1. Initial Coding Framework

Interview professor #1

Interview transcript

Initial coding framework

Interviewer: What are your main job activities at the University of Groningen?

Interviewee: I spend 50 percent of my time on researching, 40 percent on teaching and the rest of the time I spend on management function, like management master programs.

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How do you think about your job activities?

Interviewee: For me the job is quite meaningful. It is who I am actually. For all of us it is not a 9-5 job, it is something what I love to do. I think that my job as academic is quite important. I’m not somebody that watches my holiday hours or if you change my contract hours to 40 hours a week I will still work 60 hours a week. And I think this is true for all of us. We do what we want to do because we want to do it and not because we are getting paid for it. So basically I like the job because I have the freedom to do what I want. So if I want to study hair colors, then I’m free to do that and that’s important for me and influences my job satisfaction. So in this sense you need to be a quite independent person to do this job and create job satisfaction. It’s not like a job you have to check in every morning at 9 o’clock and check out at 5 o’clock.

Meaningful to the person

Academic important

Don’t mind working; The job is not a burden

Job content

Meaningful to the person

Freedom to do what I want to do Freedom to choose research subject

Being independent Being creative Not a 9-5 job Interviewer: Follow-up question: Could you

tell me why you love this job?

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be a very easy job. It used to be a job of doing a little bit of teaching and a little bit on doing research for fun till you are tired. Nowadays the system has change quite dramatically. It has become extremely competitive internationally. So if you compete to those people the pressure goes up. So competition between workers keeps the pressure high.

Is became extremely competitive

(High pressure – not a factor, see below)

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How do you experience the pressure?

Interviewee: Well, every year we have an evaluation where we are checked if we are publishing enough. It’s not only about quantity but also quality that you must publish. Every four years there is an up or leave decision. So you could either go up or you leave. And that was absolutely not the case ten years ago. That’s increases the pressure it used to be. I don’t mind the pressures. Pressures is good and it keeps the level high. The pressure doesn’t influence job satisfaction. I would probably do what I’m doing without the pressures.

Pressures keeps the level high

Pressure not factor that influences job satisfaction (x)

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How satisfied are you regarding your job activities? Interviewee: I chose this career because I get support, space and freedom in this job and for me I’m satisfied as long as I know that my colleagues, especially the senior colleagues support me. Senior colleagues know how to publish journals and are willing to help and teach me to go further. This job satisfy me because I have the space to do what want.

Support from colleagues, especially from senior colleagues

Freedom to do what I want to do

Interviewer: Which factors do you think influences your job satisfaction?

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career. I want to study hair colors or something then I can do it. I have the space to do that as long as I’m successful in conducting this study. Being free to ask and discuss with full professors, with the goal to get support in doing research, influences my job satisfaction.

So support space and freedom are the main factors influencing my job satisfaction. I guess this holds pretty much for all of my colleagues.

Freedom to choose research subject

Free to ask, discuss with full professors

Interviewer: Which other factors do you think influences your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: I think my life satisfaction is tight up to job satisfaction. I think when I’m satisfied with my life, when I’m living in a nice home and surrounded by nice people I have a higher job satisfaction. If I have to go home in the evening in a horrible town and horrible living conditions then I would be less satisfied in my job.

I am satisfied with my job because I like Dutch people and I like how I can interact with him I like the city I’m living in and the house I like. I think that also holds for my colleagues.

I came to the Netherlands because the standard here is higher, so therefore the probability that you work with better people is higher, so the probability that you can go higher in your career.

Life satisfaction correlated to job satisfaction Nice home surrounded with nice people creates higher job satisfaction

Positive towards Dutch people

Higher standards

Work with intellectual people

Interviewer: Which factors do you think are the most important regarding your job satisfaction?

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Interview professor #2

Interview professor

#2

Interview transcript

Initial coding framework

Interviewer: What are your main job activities at the University of Groningen?

Interviewee: As I’m a tenure track [….] professor, which means that in order to get a permanent position, a tenured position, and being an associate professor, I have to make publications and 50 percent of my job are for teaching, and the other 50 percent of the time I’m doing research.

Interviewer: Follow-up question: What do you think about your job activities?

Interviewee: When I´m writing and publishing those articles and only a few people around me are reading the papers and people outside the university are not interested, so then I think what does it mean I’m doing here? What is the reason of doing this? And then I have the feeling that I’m wasting time.

However in terms of teaching I feel more confident and I feel I’m contributing more since now I have more student who started to work and especially in the big four and that gives me a proud feeling. I’m so happy to hear that, and that creates job satisfaction! In this case you can see the actual result.

Contribution of articles

Contributing to students career

Interviewer: Follow-up question: Could you tell me why you live this job?

Interviewee: Writing excellent articles and ending up in the top journals makes you proud and thus creates job satisfaction. When I receive for example emails from old student I

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had in class, and they are telling me that they are working in one of the big four organizations and telling me that they are using the models I taught them, that makes you quite proud and feeling successful. And this creates job satisfaction.

Interviewer: You told earlier that you left your home country because you were not challenged. How challenging do you think your current job is?

Interviewee: In order to extend my contract I have to publish three journals in a period of five years. If you want to publish in a top journal it takes 4 a 5 years before publishing (including writing and submitting). In a basic journal a writing could be published in 2 months. But I’m not interested in basic journal, so that means that my target is limited to the top journals, so my job is quite challenging.

Contributing to academic research

Only interested in top journals

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How does a challenging job influences your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: I’m trying my chance. I don’t know whether I will end up in the top journals but at least I have tried. If I do not succeed, at least I tried and will be satisfied. If I would have stayed in [home country] I always might have the feeling that I wanted to try it but never did because I was too lazy and not challenged by the environment. So this challenging environment positively influences my job satisfaction.

Trying to end up in top journals

Challenging environment

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How does this challenge creates pressure for you?

Interviewee: The requirements of submission of writings creates pressure but I knew that before I started the job. Sometimes this

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pressure creates I’m feeling not really happy and this of course influences my job satisfaction. When I have to do a lot, I don’t want to come to work and prefer to stay at home and reading articles instead of coming to the office. But the problem is that I’m aware of this requirement of publishing articles and they warned me about it.

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How does pressure influences your job satisfaction? Interviewee: Because I wanted a challenge I accepted the pressure of requirements of submitting articles as a term in advance. So this creates a problem for myself and that’s why it cannot negatively affect my job satisfaction.

Pressure does not influencing job satisfaction because pressure is accepted

Interviewer: How satisfied are you regarding your job?

Interviewee: If you should ask me to rank, I like doing research the most, then teaching and if I have to mention grading it would get the lowest rank. I do what I love to do and that’s teaching and doing research.

Job content

I do what I love to do

Interviewer: What is your personal perspective of job satisfaction?

Interviewee: I expect from an organization that I can express myself easily and I expect respect from others. Maybe they don’t like my ideas but at least I have the freedom to express myself and at least my opinion is respected. In [home country] I was not able to express myself that easily. Although I had the space to do research in my home country, I did not had the freedom to criticize.

Freedom of expression Respect from others

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Interviewee: I’m satisfied that I have the freedom in the way I am able to express myself and that my opinion is respected by others. Another thing which satisfy me is that people are calling each other by name. In [home country] titles are important and calling each other by titles means that the one with the higher title is always right, so no discussion possible. If you can call somebody by name that means that you are equal and, thus, you can share your ideas equally and this is nice!

Freedom of expression Respect from others

Equality; no hierarchy

Interviewer: Follow-up question: You said that you had the space to do research in your home country? How much space do you have in your current job?

Interviewee: Although there are some requirement regarding submissions I’m free in choosing a research subject and I have some space to improve the course I’m currently coordinating, of which I’m happy about. Independent is a very important factor to me. Sometimes I’m so motivated, but the other time I do not want to do anything. Then I can decide not to come to work and work at home. Being independent allows you to work at home and this is more comfortable. This flexibility motivates me and increases my job satisfaction. Having space is really important for me. When I do not have the space I will definitely not continue working here.

Free to choose research subject Some freedom to improve the course

Being independent

Free to choose to work at home

Flexibility

Interviewer: Which factors do you think influences your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: For me freedom of expression, meaningful job and having the space to be independent are very important. Support from senior colleagues and space in doing research also definitely influence my job performance.

Freedom of expression Meaningful job

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Interviewee: The number of holidays also influences job satisfaction. I have 8 week in total, so if I want I can decided not to come to work for 2 months length, and that’s a lot. Previous I had only 15 days of holiday. Also, UG as university in world ranking is getting higher. Times higher education (THE) is a lists that ranks all the universities all around the world. And, compared to last year, this year University of Groningen has increased to 74th place. So that’s very nice. And then you feel proud as you are part of the university and that increases your job satisfaction.

Number of vacation days

World ranking (THE)

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Interview professor #3

Interview professor

#3

Interview transcript

Initial coding framework

Interviewer: Could you tell me about your current functional position and career at the University of Groningen?

Interviewee: So I came as a tenure track for a tenured position. In this track you start as an assistant professor and the idea is to lead you to a full professor at the end. After six years you have or a permanent contract and you become an associate professor or your contract is ended. After an associate professor you can become full professor […].

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How does this career opportunity influence your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: The fact that I have the opportunity to go up, and develop myself as a full professor creates an objective and this in return influences my job satisfaction. I’m more satisfied if I have a career goal, and in this case it is to be promoted to professor. Although this puts me in a more stressful situation, but I see it more as a challenge than a pressure.

Opportunity to grow Creates objective

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How challenging do you think/find your job?

Interviewee: It is challenging in a way that you need to find solutions. You are not always doing the same thing every day and every day. There are things that you are doing in cycles. Like master thesis process you tell students exactly the same. Within teaching I teach the same courses so more or less you I every year the same. Of course there is a level of

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adaptation of changing situations in the environment. And that’s a challenge to adapt. In a master thesis every student is different and that forms a challenge. The research is challenging because you need to research something new, and that forms a challenge. Another challenge is that it is not up to me whether my article will be published or not and there are many researchers who are writing articles and just a small amount of the articles will be published. The most challenging process I would say in my job is the submission of papers and then to reply to the review reports. That’s the most challenging because you do not know who is writing the report, so if you do not understand how to interpret feedback you cannot contact them for some explanation.

New situations

No control over publishing articles

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How does a challenging job influences your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: I like the process of writing articles. Although I don’t like the moment that you are disappointed when you are rejected, I like the thrill of waiting for the reviews for trying to find solutions. I like the pressure in the sense that it create objectives since you have to make the deadlines. The pressures gives you focus. And besides I knew. So it can be said that the challenging process of writing articles is creating job satisfaction. It definitely does not make me unhappy, I also chose for this job because I like doing research and thereby accepted this as part of the job.

Challenge – positive thrill

Pressure creates objective Pressure gives focus

Challenging process of writing articles

Job content Interviewer: What are your main job activities

at the University of Groningen?

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journals and supervise PhD students. Those are the two main activities related to research. The other 50 percent relates to teaching and other activities as participating in committees.

Interviewer: Follow-up question: What do you think of your job activities?

Interviewee: For me, I really like what I do. I don’t see working as a burden. Almost everything. So in that sense I think it’s part of my life and thus meaningful to me. In general it is meaningful to educate students and to produce knowledge by doing research.

Job content

Don’t mind working; The job is not a burden Educate students

Produce knowledge

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How does a meaningful job influences your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: If students for example in the lecture, are interested, are listening, are asking questions, are learning something, then I will be satisfied. When I have master or PhD students then you see the improvements of these students and then you are helping someone to develop. And that is quite satisfying. Seeing that you have had an impact on the career of someone influences my job satisfaction.

Educate students

Actual results;

Improvements of students

Impact on students career

Interviewer: How satisfied are you regarding your job activities?

Interviewee: In doing research I’m satisfied because I can choose the people I want to work with so I can choose co-authors I like. In that case I do not have stressful relationships to be worried about. I’m satisfied in teaching because I’m teaching the courses I like and I have more influence. And also the people I work with in the teaching I can get along with.

Freedom to choose co-authors

Social work environment

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job independency influence your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: I really like to be independent. Sometimes I like structure, but in my job I like to manage my own time and manage my own structure.

Being independent

Manage own time and own structure

Interviewer: What is your personal perspective of job satisfaction?

Interviewee: If I like to come to work then I am satisfied with my job. I’ll not get depressed on Sunday’s because I have to go to work the next day. I like to come to work in the morning. I don’t mind to work at home or during the weekend. I don’t mind check my email often. I like having friends in the workplace that I also can contact outside work. I like to talk to colleagues about work or not work related subjects. I also like that my work is taking seriously and that my opinion is taking into consideration. Of course the institution is important but also the way you rely in the institution and the way you rely to your colleagues.

Free to choose co-authors

Free to choose to work in the weekend

Great relationship with colleagues Work is taken seriously

Opinion is taken into consideration

Relationship with colleagues

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How does freedom of expression influences your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: Of course the fact that my opinion is taking into consideration is satisfying me. Also I like of my job environment is the lack of hierarchy. In that I can go to the office of my professor and my professor is willing to help me. I can say what I think and I know that it will not be used against me. And this satisfies me.

Free to give opinion and that opinion is taken into consideration

Lack of hierarchy (+)

Free to discuss, disagree and suggest.

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Interviewee: As I told you I like to talk to colleagues whether it is about work or some other subject. The possibility I can just cross the hall and talk to other colleagues makes me happy. The commitment to other colleagues and social environment influences my job satisfaction.

Great relationship with colleagues

Interviewee: Challenge, freedom of expression, being independent.

Challenge

Freedom of expression Space of independency Interviewer: Which other factors do you think

influences your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: I also think the infrastructure influences my job satisfaction. In that I mean a nice building, a nice office, access to papers, system with interaction with students works well, you don’t need to think about those issues which are actually not your responsibility because they work out. I think this indirectly influences my job satisfaction.

Infrastructure

Nice building, nice office, access to papers, interact system with students works well

Interviewee: The space to make own decisions and being independent.

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Interview professor #4

Interview professor

#4

Interview transcript

Initial coding framework

Interviewer: Could you describe your motivation of your decision to live and work in the Netherlands?

Interviewee: Because I was not satisfied with the job I had as an organizational expat and I felt I was wasting my time doing something that was not giving me excitement, I was send back to my home country. In [home country] I didn’t see anything useful to do in the company I was employed. So I quit and I wanted to do something different. I choose for academics because I wanted to up-date myself in the economics and business side. During my PhD I realized that I was really interested in doing research. I applied for a job people recognized what I did and that’s why the University of Groningen hired me, in 2010.

Interviewer: Follow-up question: You said

that you felt you were wasting your time doing something that was not giving excitement and that you didn’t see anything useful to do in the company where you were working. How is that

different in your current job?

Interviewee: The job I do here at the UG makes more sense. It is meaningful that students come to the university to learn and that I can teach them important literature. But what I do is giving me more visibility as a person and I think that’s something quite nice. So personally it is a meaningful job for me. I reach out to so many people and I teach so many different students from different countries, and that satisfies me. I think that is an important factor. Besides teaching I have to

Educate students

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do research, which is going to so many people and so many people see your name and recognize you. So the recognition, I think, is an integral part of work profile and when that happens you feel better, you feel good. In this profile I have the chance to get recognition of a wide spectrum of the society. It also satisfies me that I’m doing what I want to do rather then what my boss wants me to do. It’s not only that you want to do something important, but also the recognition of your achievement. In that people think: that guy did this, he achieved this.

Recognition

I do what I like to do Job content

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How does the freedom in doing what you like to do influences your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: In academics that’s the biggest factor, the freedom to do what you want to do! If that freedom did not exist academics probably would lose much of its charm. As compared to my job before, where I was working for a company doing certain activities which I was asked to do then the focus lied in how can I do this in the easiest way. Not about ‘is this activity really what I want to do’. Now I have a choice what I want to do and then I can also work on how better I can do it. For example if I design a course, I also focus on what and how can I do better? I’m challenging myself to do it better and better.

Freedom to do what you want to do

Do what I want to do

Challenging to improve myself

Interviewer: What kind of difficulties (cultural, language) did you experienced during your stay in the Netherlands regarding to your job?

Interviewee: […..] The people here are a lot more approachable and flexible. I was always worried about whether I would integrate because I do not speak the language, but the people here are kind enough to speak to me in

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English. The people here are much more creative and that helped me to integrate nicely with the people and the system. Another difference which I needed to learn is the separation between work and after work. In my home country it is normal to stay at the workplace longer then required, which now I think is bad. Here I realized that there is a really clear disconnect between work and after work. Also the students are a lot more informal and the gap between teacher and student is a lot smaller than I experienced in my home country. Here is less hierarchy. Sometimes they are asking me such silly things that I keep wondering why are you asking me and no other students. It feel as anything that comes to their thoughts they should straightaway ask. They do not consider my availability as an issue. Sometimes it does irritate me when it is about a silly thing, especially when I have large group of students sending me emails. That’s something I learned to live with.

Another differences is in terms of assessment. I was expected to achieve certain targets in my six years period and if I did not meet these targets in research and teaching I could no longer work here. That’s something that have put a pressure on me. This is again a bit more relax in my country. In my home country it is more flexible how certain things can be done. Evaluation could also depend on the person who evaluates you. Here it tends to be more uniformity how evaluations are done.

Stable work-life balance

Less hierarchy

Pressure

Interviewer: Follow-up question: What do think of this pressure?

Interviewee: The challenge of achieving the requirements of publishing articles creates pressure. It is challenging because there is not much control as it is an external process. Teaching does not create pressure. The

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research side is so uncertain, it is not in your control and sometimes processes can get delayed for reasons beyond your control and if you know that your evaluation is going to happen at a fixed time that creates a lot of additional pressure. In my situation I had a few delays which created pressure because I had to show a number of publications at the end of the period.

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How does this pressure influences your job satisfaction? Interviewee: This challenge could surely negatively influence my job satisfaction. If my paper get rejected, it does momently effect my job satisfaction and if it continues to happen quite often it really would affects my satisfaction of the job. However you have a lack of balance between teaching and doing research. Teaching can absorb some pressure of doing research, by lowering the teaching needs, making it more explicit in terms of I do only certain things in a year that do not need much preparation than it kind of help to absorb some kind of pressure created in doing research. If teaching part cannot be flexible to that extend, because you have to do extra teaching you have not planned for, than that extra or that pressure will start have a bigger impact on your result. If you end up in such a situations then you don’t enjoy your job anymore.

Negative pressure when paper is rejected

Interviewer: What do you think of your main job activities?

Interviewee: On the teaching side my satisfaction would be affected when I got a lot of negative feedback or when I’m teaching a course and students expressing a lot of dislike what I’m doing, that would surely affect my job satisfaction. On the other side because research is my own initiative, I can choose

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what to research and how to do it. I am most satisfied when my article is published in a top journal. In general I like doing research over teaching. The expectation is that I spend 50 percent on doing research and 50 percent on teaching. However I prefer 60 percent on doing research and 40 percent on teaching, or even 70-30.

Free to choose own subject

Interviewee: I believe that my job satisfaction comes from achievements. When I set targets to myself, or targets given to me, then I want to achieve it in the best possible way. That to me that’s the biggest factor influencing my job satisfaction.

Achievement of targets in the best possible way

Interviewee: Factors such as being paid adequately, leisure time after work, not working full time like crazy, stable work-life balance, and working in a friendly work environment without conflicts do matter but in a limited way. Those factors makes you feel better and add up to job satisfaction.

Adequately salary

Stable work-life balance; leisure time Work environment

Interviewee: Achievement, for me, is the most important factor regarding my job satisfaction. Also the freedom to choose, recognition and meaningful job are really important to me.

Achievement

Freedom of independency Recognition

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Interview professor #5

Interview transcript

Initial coding framework

Interviewer: What do you think of these job activities?

Interviewee: I actually do like my job a lot. Teaching is always fun. Especially in the beginning in a new country because the expectations and behavior of the students are completely different. Then you can see the cultural differences and still students can sometimes surprise me.

Job content

A new cultural environment is challenging Students are surprising

Interviewer: Follow-up question: In what way are expectations and behavior of students different?

Interviewee: In the Netherlands there is a really vague diffuse of sense of authority, meaning that you can approach your boss or someone else at top of the hierarchy without any consequences. And this is not the case in my home country. I do like the lack of hierarchy, because it also applies to me in that I can go to my supervisors and complain openly without negative consequences. And that’s good because I’m a very independent person. So I really like the fact that I’m able to express myself openly. However on the other hand this was a little bit confusing in the beginning when you are not used to it in that students approach you in the same way.

Freedom to discuss, disagree and suggest

Lack of hierarchy

Free to express myself

Interviewer: Follow-up question: What do you think this lack of hierarchy?

Interviewee: I like it because it gives me the freedom to discuss and interact with full professors. I got used to the fact that students

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can also reach me in the same way, so it is okay now. Let’s say it is a different type of respect.

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How does this freedom of expression influence your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: This definitely influences my job satisfaction in a positive way. I like discussing and interacting openly with others a lot without negative consequences. And also the students are free to ask anything to the professor and evaluate their teaching. And also the evaluations of the students are important to me as I can use it to improve myself.

Students are free to evaluate about teaching Constructive criticism

Interviewer: Follow-up question: What do you think of doing research?

Interviewee: Doing research is wonderful, is great and I love the group we have in [department]. It is a very international group. But I have to say that research in general is really international per see. Furthermore I’m happy that I can choose my own co-authors. Of course my supervisor could provide me some but I can freely choose with who I want to work with.

Great colleagues International group

Free to choose co-authors

Interviewer: What is your personal perspective of job satisfaction?

Interviewee: I’m mostly satisfied by intrinsic factors. Because I like to study, I like to do research, I am curious to some phenomena and so forth. And activities such as, writing a paper, reading papers and learning more creates satisfaction.

Independency is really important for me. As I’m a very independent person. The fact that I can decide my timetable, my co-authors, topics of research are essential for me. Besides being

Job content

Being independent

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independent I like to have discussions and interactions with colleagues. So you are independent but at the same time you work with others and that is very nice.

Also the salary is important, not the most important thing, but it is important as it compensate the emotional cost of living away from your family. I my view getting promotion and a raise in your salary is important because in this way the university is telling you we care about you and we think you are important for us.

Free to choose co-authors Free to choose research subject

Salary compensate for emotional cost of living away from your family

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How does promotion influence your job satisfaction? Interviewee: It is not the title or promotion per see, but the feeling that it is a sign that the University is happy about you. And that feeling influences job satisfaction.

Reward of doing good

Interviewee: Personal satisfaction, I like to write, I like to read, I like to learn more. Other tangible conditions of the job I also like. I don’t have anyone behind my back saying you have to come at 8 o’clock and leave at 6 o’clock. I can do my own organization. I can work from home. Actually we work at home more than we should, I would say in weekends. But I can decide if I have other plans on for example Tuesday then I will work in the evening. So I like having the freedom to organize my own time schedule, but also I like the freedom I have in choosing research topics, co-authors etc. I’m really happy with that freedom.

I like what I do; I do what I like

Choosing own timetable

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compensate the cost of living away from home but it is not the most important factor influencing my job satisfaction. If I got a job offer with higher salary outside the academia I would not accept, because I love the work I’m doing. A higher salary offer would not be a reason for me to leave the academia.

I’m challenged a lot in this job. But that’s also the reason that brought me here. I wanted to be challenged somehow. Especially in the research part I’m challenged. Because I want to write nice papers I want them to be published in top journals. It is also challenging because we want to apply for research funds and the process of getting a fund is really competitive. And of course the students in the Netherlands challenge you also a lot, because in general they are demanding. In my case, don’t get me wrong, I like it. They use evaluations to complain if they have reason for it, so that’s also part of their culture. So that’s also challenging, but I like it because that makes you improve yourself.

home

I want to be challenged

Ending up in top journals

Positive pressure created by students evaluation which allows for improvements

Interviewer: Follow-up questions: Does this challenge also brings pressure for you?

Interviewee: Yes, of course. I love my job but it can be very stressful. Especially this part of the year I have so much courses and responsibilities regarding master thesis students, pre-master research, research exam and these activities pile up. So this is my busy block, let say for teaching. So yes I experience pressure a lot.

Negative pressure created by many courses and responsibilities

Interviewer: Follow-up questions: How does pressure influences your job satisfaction? Interviewee: Yes of course it is not nice. I don’t think anyone likes it. However pressure can be good. If you want to have challenging

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job pressure is the other side of the coin. Because otherwise where is the challenge? It’s a negative consequence but I accepted it. Interviewer: Which factors do you think are the most important regarding your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: Being independent, content of the job as it is meaningful to myself and others.

Being independent Job content

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Interview professor #6

Interview professor

#6

Interview transcript

Initial coding framework

Interviewer: Could you tell me about your current functional position and career at the University of Groningen?

Interviewee: I’m an [tenure track] professor working in the [department] at temporarily contract.

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How does temporarily contract influence your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: Well, I like to stay here, but it is something we will see in the meantime. Because I do not know if I can stay after my two year contract it creates some job insecurity. Then you cannot settle well you cannot invest things that will satisfy you more like a nice house or car. These issues depend on your position, since you are not secure basically you cannot settle down. My current job satisfaction is not affected by not having a secure career opportunity, because this job helps me to improve and gain more capabilities for open up future career paths.

Job insecurity

Not able to settle down

Not able to invest in things that creates more satisfaction (house/car)

Opportunity to grow ≠ career opportunity: no career opportunity because of temporarily contract but opportunity to grow in capabilities influence job satisfaction

Interviewee: Yes of course I like it. It’s your job. You decide to work on this and I enjoy working with students and doing research that I’m interesting in. That’s basically the reason. And also contributed to that I’m here because it is a nice environment in which you can be yourself, you are not bounded with certain regulations and you can be free in your

Job content

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research. The field I’m working in is really broad, International Business and Management so you can be free in choosing your focusing point. I like teaching because I do not have large classes. In my classes I have up to 20-25 students so that makes it more interactive and that something that I like. Because otherwise it is monotonic, doing your speech over again each semester. So interactive classes is something I liked. Also if the lecture make sense and you feel it’s meaningful then it satisfies you when you are in the lecture room. And so far what I have been lecturing are all satisfactory. If you do research that is applicable and is useful for the theory and managerial issues then it gives me more satisfaction. But if you apply some research that’s just for the sake of increasing your list of papers then it does not satisfying. So I’m more satisfied when it is applicable and more contributing to the literature in solid way. Also the infrastructure is nice here. It helps you to lecture well. The available set up like the beamer and other things helps your performance in the lecture room. Besides the freedom of making own decisions in doing research does satisfies me, also some colleagues who are good in certain research areas and it is nice to be in touch with them and communicate with them. It’s nice to have colleagues you can go to have lunch with, you talk to them about the research and about the database you can share. This kind of interaction contributes to my satisfaction. So the work environment is important.

Free in research

Free in choosing own focusing point

Small classes More interaction

Meaningful job

Applicable to academic research and managerial issues

Infrastructure: beamer

Freedom in choosing own research subject

Working with intellectual people Good relationship with colleagues

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this lifestyle, then it creates job satisfaction. If you are more flexible in choosing your time-line, your schedule, you are being kind of independent, and that is really nice. This is a way for me to express my job satisfaction. I can say when I’m more flexible I can say I’m more satisfied in my job. Besides, the work environment, the physical issues like the room, the building, and other facilities, the IT are important for my satisfaction. Also the wage and the environment besides the university like the city and the country it also helps you increase your job satisfaction.

Being independent; flexible

Free in choosing your own timetable

Infrastructure: lecture room, building and other facilities

Infrastructure outside university: city and country

Interviewer: Follow-up question: What do you think of being flexible/independent in teaching and doing research?

Interviewee: I do not have fully choice in the courses I’m lecturing. So far I have been assigned to courses. So in the teaching part I’m not so flexible so far. Besides that I’m happy that in the course I’m free to modify certain issues and structure, so more or less you are free in the teaching method. Besides I’m also free in making decisions in doing research, and that satisfies me

Some freedom in improving certain issues and structure

Free to make own decisions in research

Interviewer: Which other factors do you think influences your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: Wage is not really important but at least need some reasonable salary and also pressure is good to improve yourself.

Adequate salary

Pressure is good to improve yourself

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cannot be that free. So these might create some pressure on you. You just have to double think. I like this pressure. I do not experience pressure in a negative way. I think pressure is good and affects my job satisfaction in a positive way.

Pressure is good; keeps you focused

Interviewee: Being independent, environmental in and outside the university and learning and creating new capabilities to future career paths. I like what I’m doing and they help me in finding some new pathways for upcoming year. But my current job satisfaction is not affected by career opportunity.

Being independent Work environment

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Interview personnel #1

Interview personnel

#1

Interview transcript

Initial coding framework

Interviewer: What do you think of your job activities?

Interviewee: Most of them I like. I like being in contact with students. I love being in contact with people from different cultures. I find cultures with a different way of thinking and communicating really interesting. For example in some countries it’s normal to ask how the children are doing however in other countries it would be a weird question. For me it is fun to find out the different ways of thinking. What I don’t like is when universities send students with an arts or sociology background when we made clear that the university can only send Economic and Business students. So then I have to tell that they are declined and then the students and university are sending me mails please could you make one exception, and that builds up negative pressure because I cannot do anything about that, and of course I do not like that because I really want to help people.

Contact with different people from different cultures

Different ways of thinking and communication

it’s a negative pressure when I have to decline students who want to study here: not able to help

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How does pressure influence your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: It negatively influences my job satisfaction when our partner universities do not listen to our requirements and send us nominated students with a different study background, because then I have to decline these students and that’s not nice to do as I want to help people and make people happy. However mostly pressure creates a boost. Then I work faster and then you are more motivated to do certain things. Knowing that you have only two weeks to make sure that another 40

Being helpful

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students have uploaded all the documents etc. that’s a positive challenge for me. It becomes negative for example when bosses are pressuring you, in that you have to work harder, and in this case you have the feeling that you have to change something. That I mainly experienced in [home country]. I do not experience that here at the UG as there is less hierarchy. I basically experience pressure in a positive way. There is less hierarchy in the Netherlands and that is something I like. In [home country] I cannot disagree or make a suggestion to my boss in the meeting. I have to tell the boss really carefully after the meeting. I could never do that in the meeting.

Challenge

Less hierarchy

Free to discuss, disagree and suggest

Interviewee: For me being independent is important. I’m pretty independent and my bosses put less pressure on me. In [home country] you have a strong hierarchy. Bosses show that they are the boss and they pressure you for results. In [home country] it can happen that you have your vacation scheduled the next week and that they’ll come and say but you need to finish the project first and here they say ‘okay we will find someone else to finish the project. Just let me know what we can do for the project’. So there is less hierarchy and that’s what I love. I love being independent.

Being independent Less pressure from boss

Less hierarchy Being independent

Interviewee: So, again, being independent. Do what I want to do without a boss looking over your shoulders. Also I like to help incoming students with certain questions. I love to make people happy and to help them. Twice per year we have introduction and the best feeling is when they come here and starts to smile when

Being independent

No boss looking over your shoulder

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they see me. We wrote so many emails and sometimes students confess to me or write me a personal email, then I know them. When I speak during the introduction I have a crowd of 200 students in front of me and I know many of them. And when I see faces I recognize students and that makes me happy.

Interviewer: Follow-up question: Why does it makes you happy?

Interviewee: Actually it makes me happy when I can help people. And when I see incoming students for the first time, it makes me happy that I know they made to come here. I like the feeling of solving questions and problems and being helpful. Being meaningful to these young students to develop a career satisfy me. So helping others creates satisfaction for me.

Being helpful to students

Solving questions and problems and being helpful

Contributing in the development of students career

Interviewee: Another factor that satisfies me is that I have the best colleagues ever. It’s great to come home… I mean office... I call it already my home. At the UG I have lovely colleagues and we clicked right in the beginning. We can talk about private things, we work as a team and I’m happy to come back after a long weekend to see my colleagues. I like coming to work as I want to know what my colleagues did the weekend or whether they had personal issues. In [home country] I had less nice colleagues and then sometimes I wasn’t looking forward to the meeting I had with less nice colleagues that was scheduled on the Monday.

Great colleagues

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of her tasks. Do you want to grow to this position?

Interviewee: I always want to grow and to learn more. And I still have the feeling that I can grow in this [department]. And if I still have the feeling that I can grow in this job then I’ll stay, and I do have the feeling that I can grow. And yes I would like to become [functional position]. I’m bored quite easily and if I get bored I will probably leave.

Grow to a higher functional position

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How does a career opportunity influences your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: It is something that I need to know. If I know there is no opportunity to grow and to learn something new than I will get bored soon. I think in the first few years when I’m still learning new things career opportunity will not influence my job satisfaction. But when I realize that the job will not offer me new things to learn then probably I will get bored quickly and that will influence my job satisfaction and then probably I will go and find another job. But currently I have a lot to do so that’s not the case yet. So I actually need a challenge. So basically if there is no challenge I get bored and then I probably want to leave. So as long as there are new things, new situations and as long as it is difficult. If everything goes too easily it will get bored soon.

Need to be challenge; get bored quite quickly

Challenge

Interviewer: Follow-up question: How challenging is your job?

Interviewee: Currently my job is quite challenging. Especially because my colleague left and I’m supposed to take over the majority of her tasks. So in the office we are doing the same with less people. So it challenging for me

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to reorganize everything.

Interviewer: Which factors do you think are the most important regarding your job satisfaction?

Interviewee: Thus, being independent and helping other people makes me happy. Good relationships with colleagues is also really important. However if I would find another job that would make me even happier, in sense in that I could help more people, then I wouldn’t stay here because of my colleagues. So if I have less nice colleagues but the job is creating more job satisfaction in other ways I would definitely shift jobs.

Space of independency

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Interview personnel #2

Interview transcript

Initial coding framework

Interviewee: I really enjoy the people I’m working with. I work in an office with four colleagues and we go along really well with each other. It is just a really nice place to work. I also enjoy to be in contact with students and to help them.

Social environment

Good relationship with colleagues Being in contact with students

Interviewee: Freedom of being independent, nice work atmosphere. I really like the atmosphere I work in. Everybody can get along well with each other, we have fun together, and we have corridor drinks once in a while. So the nice work environment really satisfies me. And there is no hierarchy in our office. The professors come in they do not treat you as just a simple secretary. And that is something what happens in [home country]. If you are a secretary in [home country] you are pretty much on the low rang of the totem pawl and everyone looks down to you. Here I never feel it. I never had anyone who talked down to me or treat me less. Also we are a real team. In the [home country] they say that you have to work as a team because they like the idea, however they do not work as a team. The twelve years I worked at my job in [home country] we were never a team. Here at my job we do work as a team and I really like that, so that influences my job satisfaction.

I admit that his job is not really challenging for

Being independent

Nice social work environment

No hierarchy

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me but I’m okay with that. Because when I was in [home country] I couldn’t keep up. I had stacks of paperwork on my desk. It was way too much challenging and you are always behind and if you worked overtime you didn’t get paid for it. It was too much. Here I hardly experience pressure.

Interviewer: Follow-up question: So you do not experience much challenge in your job. How does this influence your job satisfaction? Interviewee: In those times when I do not have a lot to do, I tend to get a little bit bored. But the satisfaction beats always the dissatisfaction. It does not influence my job satisfaction as I accepted this job and I’m already happy that it is not as challenging in New York. That job was too challenging. And I’m done working so hard, so it does not influence my job satisfaction.

Challenge not influencing job satisfaction

Interviewee: Vacation time, sickness days, and the work atmosphere. There is a different atmosphere here. The job I had in [home country] was really unhealthy. It was a really negative atmosphere to work in. Besides we were government controlled so we had to follow a lot of regulations and there were constantly new rules which created a chaotic work situation. Here it is really different. Here we supervise ourselves, which creates a more relaxing environment. And I like being independent in my job. Also the university is so open to families. For example if I have family problems and I need to go back to [home country] they tell me just go. I don’t have to worry about whether I have enough vacation time or sick time. Here we are more independent. We are allowed to make our own

Many vacation and sick days Friendly work atmosphere

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decisions. No one is looking over my shoulders to check whether I’m doing my job. There is a lot of faith in the worker. They have the faith in me that I will do what they expect and do not check me constantly.

Also nowadays the salary is important to me, as I have to pay my sons school. It does not directly influence my job satisfaction. Once he is done I plan to do part-time. It indirectly satisfies me as I then have the money to send my son to school.

Noticed also in my job is that they are more open to change. If you come up with a solution, that works better, they can look at it and might say that it indeed works much better. They give me the feeling that I’m allowed to grow beyond what they expect of me. If I see it is going as efficiently as it could, I can say why don’t we do it this way or at least try to do it like this for a period and see what happens. And this gives more meaning to what I’m doing and thus this creates more ownership to the job. Here I’m allowed to grow.

Faith and trust

Salary to be able to send child to school

Open for change

Suggestions are taken into consideration

Interviewer: Follow-up question: In what way do you like to grow?

Interviewee: I want to grow in my personal field, like enhancing my skills and competencies. And although there are career opportunities I do not want to grow in my career. I’m happy where I’m at and that’s more important. I could find another job if I wanted it within the university but I just don’t want to. I’m very content in where I’m at now. I do not want to get up and become important.

Improve skills and competencies

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Interviewee: The factors we just discussed are almost all equal important. All these mentioned factors creates happiness and thus job satisfaction. A lot less important is the fact that I’m not challenged in my job. This is not influencing my job satisfaction as I accepted this job as I’m done working that hard as I did in [home country]. Although it is not challenging and just administration work, I really like the organization, the colleagues and being able to organize courses with professors.

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Interview personnel #3

Interview transcript

Initial coding framework

Interviewer: What kind of difficulties (cultural, language) did you experienced during your stay in the Netherlands regarding to your job?

Interviewee: At the scientific level, when I was doing my PhD, everybody speaks English but now I’m at the support level you speak with all levels, like reception, so you a bit more forced to speak Dutch. So this was the first challenge you do not fully understand everything and therefore you feel like an outsider. Also I have the feeling that as being not an American, German or other European, that I’m treated as a stereotype. I have the feeling that I always have to do a little bit more to confirm that I’m good. They don’t take it for granted that you are good. There is more discrimination as they think [home country] persons are lazy. So in the end you have to prove yourself.

Discrimination

Interviewer: Follow-up question: Do you also feel this pressure in your job?

Interviewee: Yes, definitely. It makes me less satisfied. I’m mostly in contact with international students and that I like. Besides when I have meetings with my colleagues and although I speak Dutch in the meetings it is not fluently I see that they have to make an extra effort to understand my Dutch. So actually you force them to make an extra effort and that is not appreciated by everyone. And I had some negative evaluations from colleagues and that was completely not approved by others, but

Discrimination

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this happens.

Interviewee: I really like doing that. I feel that I’m in the right place, because I’m an international, I was a student here and now I help international student. Something nice to tell is that I just got a nice surprise from students who I supervised during their study period and who recently graduated. They said ‘we will always remember you and you’ve been so great’, and that is so nice. And this give the feeling that I’m doing something good and that is creating a huge satisfaction. I really feel awarded of what I’m doing. I got a lot of good feedback from the students, what I like a lot.

In being study advisor I’m mainly advising students at individual level, but I cannot change anything as I do not make the rules. I can only explain the rules. But in internationalization policy I can try to change the rules on an organizational level and since I hear a lot of stories from my international students I have a voice. I can bring the voice of the international students to a higher level, and that something I really like.

Awarded by students

Positive feedback from students

Being the voice of international students in policy making

Interviewer: What is your personal perspective of job satisfaction?

Interviewee: I think it’s the same I say to students: there has to be a match between your talent and your job. And I think in my case this is a perfect match. I was not a very good researcher I did not had the talent. But I feel that I’m at the right place as I think I have the talent and skills to do this job. So a match between your talent and what you have to do. But also it is important to challenge yourself. If you have a job that does not has a perspective

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for you, then it will not create job satisfaction. Interviewer: Follow-up question: What is your perspective of your job?

Interviewee: I feel that you can always develop and improve yourself. I cannot grow in my current position as study advisor, but I can grow in the sense that I can do a little bit of side activities, like I’m doing now extra activities as policy tasks. And I’m happy that the University of Groningen gives this opportunity to grow.

Besides, the environment is intellectual very stimulating as you can read new research that kind of brain activity is also nice. So yes I’m happy that the university is offering you twice a year courses to develop yourself and skills and competencies.

Opportunity to grow (≠career opportunity)

Enhance skills and competences

Interviewee: Possibility to grow, possibility of helping people to get these nice rewards[pointing to a gift he/she just got from students], the freedom as I am the only one in charge of my appointments, nobody is checking my agenda etc. So the trust you get in doing the job is really important. The fact that you are independent really satisfies me. Also I like working for an education institution as it is not a commercial organization. It makes it a meaningful job in educating students and that is important to me. If I help a student in his process to graduate its bachelor degree and this person will affect the world afterword. Perhaps they go back to their origin country and make a change. Opportunity to grow Rewards of students No constant controlling Trust Being independent

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well paid is an important factor which satisfies me. The organization treats its personnel in a nice way, many vacation days.

Vacation days

Interviewee: The goal is most important in that to have happy students in their degree. So helping students if for me the most important factor.

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Interview personnel #4

Interview transcript

Initial coding framework

Interviewer: What are your main job activities at the University of Groningen?

Interviewee: I am responsible for marketing recruitment, so marketing the university and the faculty but also the city to some extent. So promoting to get more international students to the University of Groningen. My real focus is raising awareness of the Netherlands as being an English speaking country because many people are not aware that we offer English programs and also not aware which programs we offer. I’m raising awareness of the Netherlands by other students by going to fairs, going go meet them abroad, personal interviews with students, online marketing, visit partner universities and do some presentation there. Besides these activities I also set up double degrees. I do different research projects for the university as a whole and it might be looking for which areas we want to focus on, which regions are interesting, why do we get much interest from a particular country.

Interviewee: Yes definitely. They are all good. We are the front facing position. We got to meet a lot of people who are considering to study abroad without doing hard sales. It’s an entire process, which also includes meeting parents. Sometimes I meet parents in a café, or they invite you to their house sometimes so there is a whole bunch of things going on, so sometimes it’s getting really personal. And I