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Dr Heidi Wechtler

Newcastle Business School, University of Newcastle

Background

I have been a Senior Lecturer in Management at the Newcastle Business School since December 2018. As a PhD student at the Macquarie University and then as a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of New South Wales, I focused my research on a variety of human resources topics, including: hiring, employee turnover, career management, expatriation, and diversity management.

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I am also a statistician by training and have participated in the Academy of Management’s “Meet the Experts” sessions on quantitative methods (part of the Research Method Division). I worked as a statistical research engineer at the Sorbonne Business School in Paris for 7 years. There, I taught well-received courses on quantitative and mixed methods in the Research Masters and Doctoral Program of the Sorbonne Business School.

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My work has appeared in outlets such as Human Relations (A*/FT50), Journal of Applied Psychology (A*/FT50), Contemporary Accounting Research (A*/FT50), Leadership Quarterly (A*), Journal of World Business (A*), International Business Review (A), Management International Review (A), International Journal of Human Resource Management (A), Journal of Business Research (A), or Management Organization Review (A).​​

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Expertise

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  • Human Resource Management / International Human Resources Management

  • Organizational Behavior

  • Research methods​​​​​​

Core Research Capabilities

My research focuses on understanding the experience of workers—how they navigate power, identity, and uncertainty in a changing world of work. I examine how work is shaped by broader systems such as global mobility, leadership practices, social identities, and external disruptions. Across different projects, I explore four key dimensions: the worker’s place in international mobility systems, their relationship with leadership and organizational practices, the role of personal identity in shaping action and adaptation, and the impact of broader societal and technological changes. I am particularly interested in how these factors create tensions between inclusion and exclusion, support and strain, stability and change. Through this research, I aim to generate insights that are both conceptually grounded and practically useful—for building more resilient, ethical, and responsive workplaces.

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The Global Worker

How individuals experience international mobility—whether as expatriates, migrants, or refugees—and how their position within global systems affects their ability to adapt, belong, and succeed at work. I explore how differences in privilege, access, and support shape workers’ adjustment, well-being, and long-term engagement across cultural and institutional contexts.

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Illustrative Publications

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  • Wechtler, H., & Lee, E. S. (2025). Updating theory and practice for cross-cultural adjustment of global workers. In The Sage Handbook of Intercultural Communication (pp. 146–159). Sage.

  • Wechtler, H., Faqihi, A., & Xu, Y. (2025). Workforce Localization Theorization, Contextualization and Paradoxes: A Systematic Literature Review. Academy of Management, Copenhagen, Denmark, August 2025.

  • Lee, E. S., & Wechtler, H. (2024). Hidden agenda for cross-cultural training: Understanding refugees’ cross-cultural experience through the capability approach. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 35(6), 1007–1047. 

  • Lee, E. S., Wechtler, H., Berardi, C., & Brewster, C. (2023). Vulnerable migrants, the COVID-19 pandemic, and international business: A vicious cycle. In The Palgrave Handbook of Global Migration in International Business (pp. 25–46). Palgrave Macmillan.

  • Lehtonen, M. J., Koveshnikov, A., & Wechtler, H. (2023). Expatriates’ embeddedness and host country withdrawal intention: A social exchange perspective. Management and Organization Review, 19(4), 655–684.

  • Wechtler, H., Koveshnikov, A., & Dejoux, C. (2022). Employment relationships and their implications among self-initiated expatriates. The International Journal of Human Resource Management. Advance online publication. 

  • Koveshnikov, A., Wechtler, H., Moeller, M., & Dejoux, C. (2022). Political skill and cross-cultural adjustment among self-initiated expatriates: The role of host employer's psychological contract fulfillment. Journal of Global Mobility, 10(3), 407–427. 

  • Wechtler, H. (2018). “Life is elsewhere”: A diary study of female self-initiated expatriates’ motivations to work abroad. Career Development International, 23(2), 141–157. 

  • Wechtler, H., Koveshnikov, A., & Dejoux, C. (2017). Career anchors and cross-cultural adjustment among expatriates in a non-profit organization. Management International Review, 57(2), 277–305. 

  • Koveshnikov, A., Wechtler, H., & Dejoux, C. (2014). Cross-cultural adjustment of expatriates: The role of emotional intelligence and gender. Journal of World Business, 49(3), 362–371.

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The Worker and their Identity

How workers’ identities—such as age, gender, culture, or role—interact with their sense of purpose, voice, and response to challenges. I investigate how identity shapes people’s career choices, adjustment processes, and participation in leadership or innovation, particularly in cross-cultural and evolving work settings.

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Illustrative Publications

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  • Wechtler, H., Felps, W., Lee, C. I. S. G., Heyden, M. L. M., & Lee, T. W. (2022). The nonlinear relationship between atypical applicant experience and hiring: The red flags perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(5), 776.

  • Heyden, M. L. M., Wechtler, H. M., & van Doorn, S. (2025). Wrinkle of change? The reproduction of executive age profiles across CEO succession episodes. Human Relations. 

  • Heyden, M. L. M., Gu, J., Wechtler, H. M., & Ekanayake, U. I. K. (2023). The face of wrongdoing? An expectancy violations perspective on CEO facial characteristics and media coverage of misconducting firms. The Leadership Quarterly, 34(3), 101671.

  • Wechtler, H., Boedker, C., & Connell, J. (2025). Leader psychopathy and workplace emotional exhaustion: An illustration of uneven distribution of psychosocial hazards within organisations. Safety Science, 184, 106756. 

  • Koveshnikov, A., Wechtler, H., & Dejoux, C. (2015). Just like a fine wine? Age, emotional intelligence, and cross-cultural adjustment. International Business Review, 24(3), 409–418.

  • Lindblom, A., Lindblom, T., & Wechtler, H. (2020). Dispositional optimism, entrepreneurial success and exit intentions: The mediating effects of life satisfaction. Journal of Business Research, 120, 230–240.

  • Lindblom, A., Lindblom, T., & Wechtler, H. (2020). Retail entrepreneurs’ exit intentions: Influence and mediations of personality and job-related factors. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 54, 102055. 

  • Wechtler, H., Felps, W., Lee, C. I. S., & Lee, T. W. (2020). Selecting for Retention: The Interactive Role of Coupledom and Mobility Frequency. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2020, No. 1, p. 18719). Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management.

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The Worker in Systems

How leadership and organizational systems influence the everyday experience of work. I look at both the positive and harmful sides of leadership—such as trust, innovation, or emotional strain—and how different leadership styles and work practices shape employee outcomes, especially in diverse and high-pressure environments.

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Illustrative Publications

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  • Wechtler, H., Boedker, C., & Connell, J. (2025). Leader psychopathy and workplace emotional exhaustion: An illustration of uneven distribution of psychosocial hazards within organisations. Safety Science, 184, 106756. 

  • Wechtler, H., & Suseno, Y. (2025). Unlocking innovative work behavior during times of crisis: The role of leadership and vertical trust. European Management Journal. 

  • Wechtler, H. & ​Nguyen, G.N.T., (2025). Responsible Leadership: Conceptual, Operational, and Theoretical Issues and Clarification. 85th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Academy of Management, Copenhagen, Denmark, 25-29 July 2025.

  • Wechtler, H., Marodin, J. K., & Lehtonen, M. J. (2024). Systematic literature review on networks of innovative teams: Current trends and future research avenues. European Management Journal, 42(6), 968-978.

  • Marodin, J. K., Wechtler, H., & Lehtonen, M. J. (2023). Do all roads lead to Rome? A multi-case analysis of informal learning and team innovation. Management decision, 61(12), 3644-3664.

  • Ehrnrooth, M., Koveshnikov, A., Balabanova, E., & Wechtler, H. (2024). Western and non-western leadership styles and employee wellbeing: A case of a high-power distance context. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1261893. 

  • Koveshnikov, A., Ehrnrooth, M., & Wechtler, H. (2023). Authoritarian and benevolent leadership: The role of follower homophily, power distance orientation and employability. Personnel Review, 52(1), 218–235. 

  • Ehrnrooth, M., Koveshnikov, A., Balabanova, E., & Wechtler, H. (2023). High-performance work system and transformational leadership for employee constructive voice: Unique and relative importance in a high-power distance context. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 34(20), 3893–3932.

  • Khoreva, V., & Wechtler, H. (2018). HR practices and employee performance: the mediating role of well-being. Employee Relations, 40(2), 227-243.

  • ​Khoreva, V., & Wechtler, H. (2020). Exploring the consequences of knowledge hiding: an agency theory perspective. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 35(2), 71-84.

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The Worker in Context

How external forces—such as digitalization, global crises, and organizational change—reshape the nature of work and the experience of workers. I study how people and organizations respond to disruption, build resilience, and adapt their practices in uncertain or fast-moving environments.

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Illustrative Publications

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  • Wechtler, H., Lindblom, A., & Lai, P. H. (2025). Country image, animosity, and xenophobia: Australian travel intentions in the post-pandemic era. Journal of Vacation Marketing.

  • Wechtler, H., & Suseno, Y. (2025). Unlocking innovative work behavior during times of crisis: The role of leadership and vertical trust. European Management Journal.

  • Nielsen, B. B., Wechtler, H., & Zheng, L. G. (2023). Disasters and international business: Insights and recommendations from a systematic review. Journal of World Business, 58(4), 101458.

  • Zheng, L. G., Wechtler, H. M., Heyden, M. L. M., & Bouncken, R. B. (2024). Global disasters and the luck of the draw? A serendipity perspective on MNE responses to global disasters. Journal of International Management, 30(1), 101084.

  • Koveshnikov, A., Lehtonen, M. J., & Wechtler, H. (2022). Expatriates on the run: The psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on expatriates’ host country withdrawal intentions. International Business Review, 31(6), 102009.

  • Moeller, M., Maley, J. F., Wechtler, H., Bai, T., & Zheng, L. (2023). Navigating disruptive events to strengthen global managerial resilience. AIB Insights, 23(3), 1–6

  • Berardi, C., Lee, E. S., Wechtler, H., & Paolucci, F. (2022). A vicious cycle of health (in) equity: Migrant inclusion in light of COVID-19. Health Policy and Technology, 11(2), 100606.

  • Berardi, C., Antonini, M., Jordan, Z., Wechtler, H., Paolucci, F., & Hinwood, M. (2024). Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of digital technologies in mental health systems: A qualitative systematic review to inform a policy framework. BMC Health Services Research, 24(1), 243.

  • Friday, D., Savage, D. A., Melnyk, S. A., Harrison, N., Ryan, S., & Wechtler, H. (2021). A collaborative approach to maintaining optimal inventory and mitigating stockout risks during a pandemic: Capabilities for enabling health-care supply chain resilience. Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, 11(2), 248–271.

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Engagement toward SDGs

My research contributes predominantly to four Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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