The Polychallenge of International Career Transitions

International career moves often look like a single transition on paper. In reality, they involve multiple layers of change happening at once—a “polychallenge” that can unsettle even experienced professionals.

Photo by Maruf Ahmed on Unsplash

About a year ago, I suddenly began seeing the word “polycrisis” everywhere. Whether I was reading about the economy or education or leadership development or climate, I kept encountering references to overlapping realities that made each issue more complex. The word itself is not new, but it’s had a recent resurgence, thanks to the interplay of COVID-19, political changes, regional and sectarian violence, the rise of AI, and more. While it can be a frightening word (surely one crisis at a time is enough?), it can be a helpful framework for understanding why we might feel unstable or unmoored.

The word came back to me as I started thinking about this series about international career transitions. I thought back to how I could have better navigated the changes I experienced when I moved to Amsterdam in early 2015. What did I fail to understand during my preparation and my first few months abroad? 

My oversight was that I didn’t appreciate the complexity of the change I was making. At the time, I believed I was managing two transitions: a new role and a new country.  In truth, I was navigating multiple forms of change simultaneously. It was not a polycrisis, but a polychallenge.

More Than a New Job

I suspect I’m not alone in underestimating the changes and challenges I was facing. Moving abroad is often seen as a big adventure. I got messages from friends about how jealous they were, and how much they envied me getting the chance to live out a dream. In the face of all this enthusiasm, it seemed churlish to focus on the real aspects of my “adventure”. 

And what were these realities? What made up the polychallenge that I was heading towards? I was not just changing my job or my mailing address. I was transitioning out of an organization in Boston that I loved; sixteen years there had shaped my identity. I was leaving behind family and friends, knowing that Skype calls and WhatsApp groups would be a poor substitute for family birthdays and workplace happy hours. I was heading towards language, cultural, and behavioral differences, even in a city as diverse as Amsterdam. 

In my new job, it wasn’t my years of global health experience that failed me. I was taking on a newly created role in an international workplace with Dutch leadership. I didn’t recognize it then, but I was bringing my content expertise into a different cultural context. The tone and style of communication were different, expectations were unknown (and often unspoken), and the cues that I might have relied on in an American workplace were gone. Although I had prided myself on my emotional intelligence and my ability to read and adjust to situations, those skills suddenly seemed useless. 

What happened next was predictable. Research on global work consistently shows that performance struggles during international assignments are less about technical ability and more about adjustment to context. Without that context, I experienced my mistakes as personal failures. I started to question myself more, and believed I was disappointing my boss and my colleagues. 

What Made a Difference

I didn’t have the vocabulary for it at the time, but I can see now that most of my difficulties were contextual, not personal. Had I been aware of that back then, I would have been pro-active in asking for help. Instead, I went through months of struggle and self-doubt until things improved. Scholars who study global mobility often describe this period as an “adjustment curve,” where initial competence gives way to uncertainty before stability returns. Looking back, I made some changes that helped me feel better and do better work.

• I started taking Dutch language classes. My Dutch never advanced beyond beginner level, but I gained historical and cultural context to understand my surroundings. 

• I sought out other expats. Dutch classes and social groups like InterNations introduced me to expats from around the world who shared many of the same challenges.

• I built deeper relationships with Dutch colleagues. Over time, coworkers became friends, and their generosity and patience with my silly questions helped me integrate.

• I got curious about the culture. My husband and I traveled and did traditional activities that even my Dutch colleagues hadn’t done (like wadlopen). Our interest in Dutch life demonstrated respect and often made others more curious about my experiences.

• I adapted some local behaviors. Namely, I became more direct at work. I asked specific questions about expectations, goals, and outcomes. When I thought something was unclear, I said so. I was never rude, but I leveraged the famous Dutch directness to help me understand workplace dynamics. 

  
  

What Preparation Overlooks

In retrospect, I would have benefited from more specific preparation. Preparing for an international move often involves so much logistical and administrative work that becomes easy to overlook the personal, cultural, and internal challenges ahead. I charged headlong into my move to Amsterdam assuming that once I understood the job, the rest would sort itself out. 

What if I had taken some time to think more comprehensively, and to identify the full spectrum of changes I was making? What if I had someone to talk to, someone who had made a similar move and could help me prepare? 

What assumptions about your work performance - and how you will adjust - did you bring with you into your transition?