Dr Linn Eleanor Zhang
Lecturer in International Management
Dr Linn Eleanor Zhang is a lecturer within the Institute for International Management. She is also an affiliated researcher at Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki Finland. As Programme Director for MSc International Management and MSc International Management and Emerging Economies, Linn teaches a variety of management modules in the Institute for International Management.
Linn has also spent time in other universities, such as Peking University, University of Helsinki, Birkbeck, University of London, ESCP (École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris) Business School, and CUNEF (Colegio Universitario de Estudios Financieros, Universidad Complutense de Madrid) Spain.
Linn's teaching and research interests cover a wide range of topics in cross-cultural management, such as international human resource management, multiculturalism, transnationalism, language in international business, global leadership and workplace diversity, social, cultural and organisational identity and qualitative research method.
Academic background
Linn graduated from Department of Management and Organisation at Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki Finland. Her PhD examines the diversity and dynamics of expatriation in the context of cross-cultural adjustment and acculturation. She is a member of the Higher Education Academy in the UK. Before joining Loughborough London, Linn has taught a wide range of Management subjects such as Strategic Management, Economic and Social Foundations for Sustainable Organisations, International HRM at Royal Holloway, University of London and King’s College London.
Current research and collaborations
Linn's research contributes to a deeper understanding of people management in multinational organisations. Specifically, she researches expatriates, migrant and transnational workers, as well as local employees from a language, identity and gender perspective. She employs in-depth interview, ethnographic observation, as well as surveys to better understand how these employees adjust cross-culturally, develop language competences and cope with challenges related to cultural identity, work-life balance and career development.
A central thread of her research is interaction across boundaries, which is manifested in various research settings, such as the boundary spanning of multicultural employees, the translation of human resource management policies to practices among foreign employees at multinational corporation subsidiaries abroad, and the social categorisation and conflict management between expatriates and host country employees.
In terms of geographical area, she focuses on employees and organisations in the UK, China and Nordic countries.
Linn’s current research projects are:
- Globalizing actors in MNCs from China’s emerging cities
- Gender and identity in a turbulent space and time: A study of diplomats and diplomatic spouses
- Covid-19 and gendered roles in academia
Current PhD / research supervisions
Chinese Multinationals and Trade Unionism in sub-Saharan Africa.
Do I belong: How language affects integration and social inclusion.
Interests and activities
Linn has co-established CYGNA Women in Academia research network in June 2014. The main objective of the group is to promote interaction among female academics based in the London area and to provide a forum for learning, support, and networking.
Linn is a member of the following Professional Associations:
- Academy of Management
- Academy of International Business
- European Academy of Management
- European Group of Organization Studies