Repatriation

After Global
Assignments:
Current HR Practices and
Suggestioris for Er^uring
Successful RepatrÈtion
By Christina Bailey and Lisa DragonI

48 , PEOPLE & STRATEGY

Global assignments are becoming increasingly popular as companies are becoming more
international in their operations. These types of assignments require employees to temporarily
relocate into one of the company's foreign offices, it invoives a full relocation and often lasts
between 12 to 36 months (Briscoe, Schuier & Claus, 2008). According to Mercer's 2008/2009
Benefits Survey for Expatriates and Giobally iVIobiie Employees that surveyed 243 companies,
the number of employees on global assignments has grown by more than 90 percent
between 2005 and 2008 (Mercer Human Resource Consuiting 2008). According to a recent
PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, 59 percent of the 1,200 CEOs surveyed pian to increase the
number of their international assignments as part of their HR strategy (the FINANCIAL, 2011).

W
e offer a process to help HR lead-
ers deal with trauma and
challenging events employees may
experience in the work context. To illustrate
the range of difficulty individuals and orga-
nizations may encounter, we provide case
studies and suggest specific ways HR leaders
can lead their organizations and employees
to greater resilience and strength.
Companies are increasingly relying upon
international assignments to better adjust to
the growing trends of globalization, along
with ensuring a strong presence in emerging
markets. As a result, the use of global assign-
ments is common and necessary for a
multinational company to succeed.
While the transition to an overseas assign-
ment requires significant adjustment on the
part of the expatriate and his or her family
(Black, Mendenhall & Oddou, 1991), it has
been documented that the return home can
be just as difficult, if not more challenging
(e.g., Adler, 1981; Black, Gregersen & Men-
denhall, 1992). Adler (1981, p. 344) quotes
one expatriate from her study of corporate
and governmental employees returning
home to Canada from overseas assignment:
"Going home is a harder move. The foreign
move has the excitement of being new ...
more confusing but exciting. Re-entry is
frightening ... I'll be happy to be home ... I
really wonder if I can adjust back." This
period of re-entry, also known as repatria-
tion, involves the expatriate's "reentry into
the domestic environment and organiza-
tion" following completion of their
international assignment (Harvey, 1989, p.
131). The term "repatriate" refers to an
employee who has returned from an inter-
national assignment and is undergoing this
réintégration. The costs to the organization
of mismanaging the repatriation of return-
ing employees are significant — it is
estimated that 20 to 50 percent of repatriates
leave the organization within two years of
returning home (Stroh, Gregersen & Black,
1998; Bossard & Peterson, 2005). More-
over, the organization's choice to invest in
sending an employee overseas can be two to
three times the average compensation of a
comparable manager in the home country
(Cummins, 2001), and these investments are
often made in promising rising leaders or
those who are technically adept (Black &
Gregersen, 1999). Eor organizations then to
not be able to retain these talented expatri-
ates upon return is wasteful of money, time
and human capital.
It is important to better understand the con-
tributing factors to mismanaged repatriation.
Currently, much of the research on repatria-
tion has examined the experience of the
repatriate (e.g. Eeldman & Thompson, 1993;
Gregerson & Stroh, 1997; Bolino & Eeldman,
2000; Kraimer, Shaffer Bolino, 2009). While
this work has been useful, it fails to capture
the perspective of the organization regarding
repatriation (Harvey, 1989 is one notable
exception). Insight into organizational view-
points on repatriation can help us elaborate a
fuller range of repatriation outcomes beyond
retention and better determine the contribut-
ing causes to repatriation failures.
Our purpose in this paper is to report our
findings of an exploratory study on how
human resource executives view internation-
al assignments and the process of repatriation.
We conducted interviews with highly knowl-
edgeable senior HR executives from a sample
of 10firmsto understand the intended value
of international assignments, how they define
successful repatriation and the practices used
to support repatriation. With these data, we
hope to respond to calls from scholars such
as Lazarova & Cerdin (2007) who urge
scholars to elaborate on this unique perspec-
tive in our literature. We also noted interesting
patterns in these interview data that give
insight into why repatriation efforts may not
be as successful as organizations desire. With
these insights, we offer alternative ways to
consider organizational practices designed to
support repatriation, particularly through a
more effective use of job placement.
This approach has academic and practical
value. Practically speaking, we offer compa-
nies insight into how the best-in-class
organizations are viewing and handling repa-
triation. Moreover, we offer a viable method
for companies to combat the difficulties com-
monly associated with repatriation. We
forward academic research on this topic by
providing insights into how organizations
view successful repatriation and the practices
commonly used, which may serve as a foun-
dation for future empirical work. Moreover,
in keeping with recent work (e.g., Shen &
Hall, 2009), we integrate broader manage-
ment literature to suggest ways to improve
repatriation and inspire future empirical test-
ing of these assertions.
Wefirstdescribe the methodology we used in
conducting our exploratory study and then
report our results on the following:
* How our sampled executives view the
value intended through use of global
assignments >•

VOLUME 36/ISSUE 1 — 2013 49

 • How executives define successful repa- about their own organization's management To determine the reliability of this coding
triation of global assignments and each interview scheme, the second author independently
lasted approximately 60 minutes. coded the same interview transcripts, and
<• What repatriation practices the executives'
there was 76.27 percent agreement in our
respective firms employ
We used a semi-structured interview approach coding. The discrepancies led us to discuss the
during which we asked a consistent set of coding scheme and further refine it. We then
In the discussion section, we connect these
questions in each interview and remained used the revised coding scheme to re-code the
findings to the broader management
flexible to follow up with additional ques- interviews independently and reached 79 per-
research to suggest ways to better align
tions as necessary. Prior to each interview, we cent agreement. Our biggest source of
existing repatriation practices with the
provided respondents with the structured set discrepancy was in how each author inter-
anticipated value of international assign-
of questions to be asked during the interview. preted the breadth of three of the coding
ments. Einally, we articulate a number of
The interview protocol asked questions categories. Eor instance, in two interviews,
questions intended to guide the choices,
about the value seen in international assign- executives talked about how they use global
actions, and practices of human resource
ments, how successful repatriation is defined, assignments as a way to build a global work-
professionals.
and the practices used to repatriate expatri- force and a unified culture. One author
ates. We conducted interviews primarily via interpreted these statements as a way to effec-
Method telephone, with the exception of one face-to-
face interview. We took extensive notes
tively utilize talent throughout the world
while the other viewed this strategy as a form
Sample and Procedures during each interview and transcribed them of knowledge transfer. Upon discussion, we
To gain a broad sample, we interviewed immediately afterward. realized that our current coding scheme did
executives from mid- and large-sized compa- not accurately accommodate these ideas, and
nies from a range of industries: retail, food, we established a sub-category under knowl-
medical technology, financial services, tele- edge transfer titled "build a global workforce
communications, chemicals and computer To establish an initial coding scheme, the first and/or unified culture." To resolve the two
systems (see Exhibit 1). To rule out whether author content coded the interview transcripts. other similar kinds of discrepancies, we
variation across our firms was due to varying We identified general themes in three areas: mutually decided upon a clearer, more explic-
levels of success, we only interviewed repre- it definition of the coding category. After this
sentatives from industry-leading, successful 1. The value seen by executives in global discussion, we reached 100 percent agree-
firms. So our results are representative of assignments ment on the coding.
best-in-class organizations in these repre-
2. How successful repatriation is defined
sented industries. We conducted interviews
with 18 senior human resources executives 3. The practices used to repatriate the expa- Results
from 10 different companies. Interviewed triate at the conclusion of his or her
executives were the most knowledgeable global assignment Value seen in global assignments
by interviewed executives
Interviewed executives varied, but only
EXHIBIT 1 : INFORMATION ON INTERVIEWED COMPANIES slightly, in the reasons why their organiza-
industry Operating Regions Number of Location of tions find value in utilizing global
Empioyees Headquarters assignments. Virtually all of the executives
Company A Retail Europe, Asia, North America, 40,000 Germany we interviewed indicated that global assign-
Latin America ments can be useful in accelerating particular
Company B Chemicals North America, Europe, Asia, 20,000 U.S.A leaders' development (N=9). In their view,
Africa, Middle East, West Indies these assignments can help increase the
Company C Financial Services North America, Latin America, 15,000 U.S.A developing leaders' knowledge of other cul-
South America, Europe, Asia tures, enhance their adaptability and give
Company D Food North America, Asia Pacific, 20,000 U.S.A them a unique perspective of the organiza-
Europe, Latin America tion. In addition, interviewed executives
Company E Medical Technology North America, Asia Pacific, 10,000 U.S.A view the potential for knowledge transfer as
Europe an equally important reason to utilize global
Company F Retail Asia Pacific, Europe, 130,000 U.S.A assignments (N=9). Many cited the need to
Latin America, Middle East, better share information globally given their
North America
global business context, and these assign-
Company G Food North America, Asia Pacific, 30,000 U.S.A ments pro vide one way to enhance knowledge
Europe, Latin America
transfer in the minds of many of our inter-
Company H Medical Technology North America, Latin America, 2,000 U.S.A viewed executives. A smaller subset of these
Europe
interviewed executives talked explicitly
Company 1 Computers Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle 430,000 U.S.A. about how these assignments help their
East, Africa, Latin America,
North America organizations build a more globally inte-
grated w o r k f o r c e and a unified
Company J Telecommunications North America, Europe 1,000 Luxembourg
organizational culture (N=3).

50 PEOPLE & STRATEGY

 EXHIBIT 2: THE VALUE SEEN BY INTERVIEWED EXECUTIVES IN USING
GLOBAL ASSIGNMENTS
• Accelerate expatriate's development
• Transfer knowledge within the organization
0 Build a global workforce and/or unified culture
• Utilizing talent effectively throughout the world
• Critical prerequisite for career advancement
within the company
In addition, although cited less often, work-
ing internationally is seen as a critical
prerequisite for career advancement among
our interviewed executives (N=é). Many of
tbe firms that use international experience
as one criterion for future promotion indi-
cated that this criterion is relatively new,
but essential given tbe current global busi-
ness trends.
Finally, a few of our interviewed executives
view global assignments as a way to utilize
talent effectively throughout the world
(N=2). These executives see global assign-
ments as a way to address staffing needs when
local talent pools may be inadequate.
Defining successfui repatriation
The executives we interviewed for tbis study
provided a range of responses in terms of how
they define successful repatriation, and we see
more variability in their responses here than
to the value associated with global assign-
ments. Half of the interviewed executives
define it as the general satisfaction of the
employee upon return (N=5). Varying slightly
in their interpretation of satisfaction, execu-
tives alluded to both professional (N=5) and
personal satisfaction (N=4) as critical to the
successful réintégration of returned expatri-
ates. In their view, having an employee return
with a positive attitude about their assign-
ment and what they accomplished during this
assignment signaled a high level of profes-
sional satisfaction. Similarly, four interviewed
executives gauged personal satisfaction upon
return as the extent to which the expatriate
and his or her family were happy and felt
settled back in their home country.
Half of the sampled executives stated that
repatriation success is most clearly evidenced
in the development of the expatriate (N=5).
For them, instances where the employee per-
forms well upon return, continues to be of
value to the company and has been able to
Number of Interviewed Percentage of
Companies Companies
9 90%
9 90%
3 30%
3 30%
6 60%
grow and learn throughout the international
assignment provide indications of successful
repatriation. One executive commented that
successful repatriation is evident when the
individual returns a better leader and is more
open to new ideas.
In addition, several interviewed executives
emphasized the ability of the returned expa-
triate to transfer knowledge and/or skills to
other employees upon return as a key com-
ponent of repatriation success (N=4). In their
view, success in transferring new skills to oth-
ers and "to localize the workforce" at the site
of the international assignment constitutes
successful repatriation.
Although cited less often, several defined suc-
cessful repatriation as retention of the
expatriate following completion of the inter-
national assignment (N=3). One company
seeks to retain expatriates for at least one year
upon their return to their home country.
Slightly fewer of our interviewed executives
associated a successful repatriation with an
employee'sfitwith their new role upon return
(N=2). These companies define successful
repatriation when they are able to place an
expatriate into a role in which he or she is
able to continue to grow professionally and
leverages tbe expatriates experience and tal-
ents to benefit tbe organization.
EXHIBIT 3: HOW INTERVIEWED EXECUTIVES DEFINE SUCCESSFUL REPATRIATION
• General satisfaction of the expatriate
o Professional
0 Professional
• Observable development of the expatriate
• Retention of the expatriate
• Knowledge transfer from expatriate to others
• Fit with new role upon return
Lastly, it is interesting to note that half of our
interviewed executives (N=5) commented on
how to achieve successful repatriation while
outlining the indicators of successful repa-
triation. These executives shared their belief
that planning for expatriates' return home
must begin far in advance of their return date.
In their experience, adequate preparation
time enabled proper career counseling and
flexibility throughout the entire international
assignment, thereby helping to ensure better
job placement and an easier transition of the
expatriate upon return.
Practices used among interviewed
executives for repatriation
Interviewed executives stated their respective
companies utilize a range of practices to repa-
triate employees. In fact, 40 percent of our
sample employs at least four practices to rein-
tegrate expatriates. In our analysis of the
interview transcripts, we found that the vari-
ous practices fell into one of three major
categories:
1. Job placement upon return — that is, how
interviewed firms handled job placement
issues and the type of jobs expatriates
secured upon their return
2. Facilitation of knowledge transfer — that is,
how interviewedfirmsencourage the trans-
fer of knowledge of the expatriate to others
3. Support to expatriates — that is, how
interviewed firms ease the adjustment
associated with repatriation
To determine how comprehensive our sam-
pled firms are in their repatriation practices,
we tallied up how many firms used at least
one practice in each of these three areas and
found that only three of our interviewed firms
address job placement, knowledge transfer
and support issues during the repatriation of
their expatriates.
Number of Percentage of
interviewed interviewed
Companies Companies
5 50%
4 40%
5 50%
3 30%
4 40%
2 20%
VOLUME 36/ISSUE 1 — 2013 51
 Job Placement
A majority of those interviewed mentioned
the employee's job placement upon return as
playing a role within the repatriation process
(N=6). Many cited that expatriates typically
return to a comparable, if not the same, role
upon return (N=6). Two of these firms indi-
cated much less frequently expatriates are
placed on special assignment or promoted
following the completion of the international
assignment. In addition, a few of our sample
executives recognize the difficulty of deter-
mining the next job assignment for expatriates
(N=3). These respective firms provide addi-
tional assistance to help expatriates find new
positions within the company and will adjust
the length of the international assignment to
enable the expatriate to take on a new role at
the home office or will hold job postings open
for expatriates until their assignment is com-
plete. One interviewed executive stated that
her firm guarantees a job to returning expa-
triates, as a way to signal the value associated
with international experience. This policy
stood in stark contrast to the rest of the inter-
viewed firms; the majority of whom leave it
up to the expatriate to secure a job upon
return. In fact, three of our interviewed exec-
utives explicitly stated that they do not
guarantee jobs for expatriates upon return.
Practices to facilitate
knowledge transfer
Half of our interviewed organizations have
practices designed to facilitate knowledge
transfer as part of the repatriation process
(N=5). These organizations host forums or
luncheons as an opportunity for returned
expatriates to share their international expe-
rience with their colleagues. The function of
these events is twofold for our interviewed
firms: to enable employees to share newly
gained knowledge and/or skills with cowork-
ers and to encourage other employees to go
on international assignments. Only one other
means for knowledge transfer surfaced dur-
ing our interviews and only one firm in our
sample uses it. This company utilizes one-on-
one tutoring sessions as a way for returned
expatriates to educate other employees about
their international assignment and facilitate
the skill building of others.
Practices to support the expatriate
Eight out of the 10 firms we interviewed
emphasized the importance of supporting the
returned expatriate, which indicates an
acknowledgement by most of our sampled
52 PEOPLE & STRATEGY
EXHIBIT 4: PRACTICES USED TO REPATRIATE EXPATRIATES BY INTERVIEWED
ORGANIZATIONS
• Job placement upon retum
o Same or comparable job
o Promotion/special assignment
o Additional assistance offered to find job
• Practices designed to facilitate knowledge transfer
o Hosting forums/luncheons
o One-on-one tutoring to educate other employees
• Practices designed to provide support to expatriates
o Utilization of returned expatriate to counsel and
coach new expatriates
o Expatriates go through training
0 Cultural support and training for family upon return
o Link expatriates to informal network of former
expatriates
o Staying connected to the expatriate throughout
his/her assignment
organizations that the adjustment to the home
office can be difficult. The greatest conver-
gence among the interviewed executives is in
their belief in the criticality of maintaining a
high level of connection with expatriates
throughout their assignment, including dur-
ing the repatriation phase (N=5 ). In their view,
this is achieved through processes such as:
• Keeping expatriate updated on company
changes
• Performing annual talent review specifi-
cally for expatriates
* Providing trips back to the home office
« Utilizing mentorship program based in
home office
* Managing expatriates through an interna-
tional HR division
Although cited less often, two firms utilize
training to support the return of expatriates.
It is interesting to note that only one of our
sampled firms extends this training to the
expatriates' families, even though slightly less
than half of our sample acknowledges the
importance of personal adjustment during
repatriation. Several companies recognize the
importance of former expatriates as key
sources of support throughout the repatria-
tion process (N=4).Twofirmsutilize returned
expatriates to counsel and coach new expa-
triates upon return. The two firms link
expatriates to an informal network of former
expatriates to encourage open communica-
tion and exchange of experiences.
Number of Percentage of
Interviewed interviewed
Companies Companies
6 60%
2 20%
3 30%
5 50%
1 10%
2 20%
1 10%
1 10%
2 20%
5 50%
Observations of these
interview data
All interviewed executives mentioned the
growth of international assignments within
their respective companies and the growing
importance of maintaining a global work-
force. However, despite the growing
importance and relevance of international
assignments, many of our sampled compa-
nies explicitly stated that they do not employ
an adequate repatriation process (N=4). Our
data intimate why many efforts to success-
fully repatriate expatriates may not be as
effective as intended. When we look at our
findings in the aggregate, we see that our
sampled companies find great value in inter-
national experience, particularly in
developing leadership talent and in knowl-
edge transfer. Yet less of these firms define
successful repatriation in terms of develop-
mental and knowledge transfer outcomes.
More striking is that even fewer of these
firms have practices that truly support leader
development and knowledge transfer —
most expatriates go back to hold the same
job that probably docs not challenge them to
continue to grow. Knowledge transfer hinges
on luncheons and forums that appear
removed from the day-to-day work and are
entirely dependent upon employee participa-
tion, interest and the general layout of the
event. In short, a lack of alignment exists
between efforts used to fully realize the
intended value of these assignments and then
how successful repatriation is ultimately
gauged and assessed.

Discussion
Our results respond to calls from previous
researchers who have advocated for a multi-
dimensional conceptualization of successful
repatriation (e.g., Lazarova & Cerdin, 2007).
We provide insight into how successful orga-
nizations are defining effective repatriation
andfindthat these organizational views both
complement and differ from existing research.
In keeping with prior research that focuses on
repatriates' organizational commitment and
intention to turnover (e.g., Stroh, Gregersen
& Black, 2000; Kraimer, Shaffer & Bolino,
2009), we found that approximately 30 per-
cent of our sampled firms gauged successful
repatriation through retention. Also, in line
with studies that examine repatriate adjust-
ment (e.g.. Black & Gregersen, 1991;
Gregersen & Stroh, 1997), we found organi-
zational concern for the work and general
adjustment of repatriates in approximately
half of our sampled companies. We see a con-
sistent focus among these organizations in
using global assignments as a way to develop
their leaders and to transfer knowledge — in
fact, 90 percent of our sampled firms cited
international assignments as a way to develop
leadership talent and transfer knowledge. Yet
extant research has not been commensurate
with this dual focus, although movement in
these directions is emerging. For instance,
there is a growing scholarly interest on the
careers of expatriates (e.g., Bolino, 2007;
Shen & Hall, 2009) and use of international
assignments to develop global leaders (e.g.,
McCall & Hollenbeck, 2002). Further, addi-
EXHIBIT 5. FEATURES OF CHALLENGING MANAGERIAL JOB ASSIGNMENTS
Characteristic Description
Unfamiliar Must handle responsibilities
responsibilities that are new and very
different than previous ones
Creating change Create and implement
some kind of business or
personnel change or fix a
preexisting problem
Increases Lead highly visible initiatives
in scope of that entail multiple
responsibilities functions, groups, products,
or services
Working across Must influence people
boundaries and/or processes over
which one does not have
direct authority
Working with Lead people from different
diversity and cultural, racial, gender
across cultures and/or ethnic backgrounds
Source; Adapted from Ohiott (2004): Yip & Wilson (2010)
tional recent research has begun to examine
knowledge transfer as a result of global
assignments, serving to expand the ways in
which to conceive of successful repatriation
(e.g., Lazarova & Tarique, 2005; Oddou,
Osland & Blakeney, 2009; Welch, Steen &
Tahvanainen, 2009). Building upon this
recent work, in the sections that follow, we
integrate the scholarly literature on leader
development and knowledge transfer to
describe some ways to increase the likelihood
of enhanced leadership among repatriates
and knowledge sharing among repatriates
and their colleagues.
Achieving Greater
Leader Development
Through Successful
Repatriation
McCauley, VanVelsor & Ruderman (2010,
p.2) define leader development as "the expan-
sion of a person's capacity to be effective in
leadership roles and processes." Scholars
have considered a broad range of metrics of
leader development: the motivation to lead
(e.g., Chan & Drasgow, 2001), the growth of
an identity as a leader (DeRue & Ashford,
2010), and skill acquisition and competency
development (e.g.. Day, Harrison & Halpin,
2009; Dragoni, Tesluk, Russell & Oh, 2009).
Cultivating these leadership attributes within
an organization's ranks consumes a signifi-
cant amount of resources: An interview study
revealed that CEOs devote 50 percent of their
Examples
• Taking a temporary assignment in another
functional area
• Moving from a line job to a corporate staff role
Launching a new product or service
Resolving direct reports' performance problems
Dealing with a business crisis
Assuming a general manager role that involves
overseeing several functions
Assuming additional responsibilities after a
downsizing or a colleague's departure
Presenting a proposal to senior management
Serving on a cross-functional team
Negotiating with a union
Taking an assignment in another country
Managing a global operations of a particular
function
time to leadership development and talent
management (Silzer, 2002; Rubin, 2006).
Moreover, most firms prefer to grow their
own leadership talent to avoid having to hire
executives from outsidefirmswho may strug-
gle to adjust (Cohn, Khurana & Reeves,
2008). Barlow (2006) explains that to maxi-
mize leadership development, organizations
must utilize an individually customized talent
management program to enable employees to
take charge of their own development. These
studies implicate the need for extensive
resources and time dedicated for individual
leader development. Consequently, repatria-
tion represents one opportunity of many to
continue to cultivate leader development that
demands an array of support practices.
Leaders develop the most from on-the-job
experiences (McCall, 2010). A synthesis of
eight distinct studies on the lessons of experi-
ence conducted by the Center for Creative
Leadership found that developmental job
assignments were the most frequently cited as
being the most instrumental practice to their
leader development by leaders in the United
States, India, China and Singapore (Yip &c
Wilson, 2010). In addition, the nature of the
subsequent job assignment after expatriation
can ease repatriation adjustment: Feldman
and Tompson (1993) found that the degree
of change in job duties was positively related
to adjustment. Adler (1981) asserts that the
most powerful repatriation strategies provide
higher job responsibility upon return. Mac-
Donald and Arthur (2005) argue that it is
critical to place repatriates into jobs upon
return that enable them to pursue career aspi-
rations endorsed by the organization. Yet we
found that the majority of repatriates return
to a comparable job to the one held prior to
their overseas assignment — this type of job
placement does not facilitate leader develop-
ment or adjustment, even though 90 percent
of our sampled firms stated that they use
global assignments as a way to develop their
leadership talent. Given the developmental
potential of certain job assignments and their
potential utility in repatriation, job place-
ment of repatriates upon return from overseas
is critical to their short-term adjustment and
longer-term leader development.
Prior research on developmental job assign-
ments describes the types of job placements
that would be instrumental to repatriates'
continued leader development. According to
McCauley, Ruderman, Ohiott and Morrow
(1994), Ohiott (2004) and Yip and Wilson
(2010), there are five features of job assign-
ments that provide challenge, and therefore
VOLUME 36/ISSUE 1 — 2013 53
 the potential to develop, to developing lead-
ers. These five features are described in
Exhibit 5, page and include:
1. unfamiliar responsibilities
2. creating change
3. increases in scope of responsibility
4. working across boundaries
5. working with diversity and across cultures.
The degree of developmental challenge is
enhanced as more of these features are pres-
ent in a particular job assignment. Often
times, at least two of these job features are
inherent in overseas assignments. Eirst, an
overseas assignment requires the expatriate
to work closely with people who are cultur-
ally different than the expatriate, and
typically these assignments represent an
To build leadership versatility, assignments that broaden
the perspective of the individual are necessary.
increase in the scope of responsibility. Thus,
when expatriates return home and are placed
into a comparable job to the one they had
prior to going overseas, the assignment fails
to challenge and meaningfully engage them
because the scope of responsibility is most
likely diminished, and they may not encoun-
ter the same level of cultural diversity as when
overseas. Consequently, if the goal is to con-
tinue to develop the leadership potential of
expatriates, then the most important criterion
in determining subsequent assignments is the
extent of challenge their next job placement
will offer.
In addition, it is useful to consider the expa-
triates' sequence of job assignments. Ordering
job assignments in such a way so that incre-
mental levels of challenge are increased with
each successive assignment promotes higher
levels of career and leader development
(Morrison & Hock, 1986). When these incre-
mental assignments are all offered within a
particular functional, process, product or
service area, a depth of expertise often results
(Yip & Wilson, 2010). Eor instance, a leader
who has had experienced a job progression
from sales person to sales manager to region-
al sales manager to global sales manager has
developed a depth of expertise around sales.
To build leadership versatility, assignments
that broaden the perspective of the individu-
54 PEOPLE & STRATEGY
al are necessary — assignments that entail and the learning of global leadership compe-
unfamiliar responsibilities or those that chal- tencies among repatriates. What may be
lenge the individual to work across missing, however, is routine delivery of feed-
organizational or cultural boundaries, such back on the expatriate's performance during
as global assignments, are best suited to build and after the international assignment. Cer-
versatility (Yip &C Wilson, 2010). Leadership tainly, mentors, managers or senior leaders
development experts have argued that both can provide this kind of guidance (McCauley
depth and versatility are essential for execu- & Douglas, 2004), and research shows that
tives (Yip & Wilson, 2010). Systematic when developing leaders are provided feed-
planning of experiences that incorporate back, they are more likely to translate
opportunities to amass depth of expertise and experience into skill development (DeRue &C
versatility increase the likelihood that leader Wellman, 2009).
development will occur (e.g., McCall, 1998;
McCall & Hollenbeck, 2002 ). Therefore, it is In sum, we assert that subsequent job place-
important to consider the purpose of the ment into a challenging job assignment after
international assignment (i.e., the opportu- returning from overseas assignments is criti-
nity to develop depth, versatility or both) and cal for the continued leader development of
what might the expatriate need in subsequent expatriates. Moreover, overseas assignments
assignments. A well-crafted assignment pro- and subsequent job assignments after return
gression for a developing leader might consist home should promote a particular develop-
mental goal of achieving greater depth of
expertise, versatility or both for individual
expatriates. This view productively responds
to the views of repatriates who have indi-
cated that the most important organizational
support practice is signaling the importance
of international experience (Lazarova ôc
Caligiuri, 2001). Thoughtful attention to job
placement and career pathing, as we describe
of a series of assignments in a particular client above, conveys an organizational belief that
service to develop depth, an international building leadership ability through domestic
assignment involving a similar client service and international experience is valued.
to enhance versatility, and a job placement in
a special task force upon return home that
requires spanning multiple organizational Achieving Greater
boundaries to continue to develop versatility. Knowledge Transfer
Lastly, leadership development scholars through Successful
argue that providing developmentally chal-
lenging job experience is not enough Repatriation
— developing leaders need support and feed-
back on how they are progressing (e.g., Kamoche (1997, p. 216) defines knowledge
McCall, 1998; McCauIey et al., 2010). Our transfer as the "[diffusion of] knowledge
sampledfirmsrecognize the need for support, acquired by individuals in international
as eight out of 10 firms indicated that they assignments ...across the organization." Suc-
have some type of practice to support repatri- cessful knowledge transfer duringrepatriation
ates. More specifically, half of our sampled hinges upon the ability and motivation of the
firms indicated that staying connected to repatriate to transfer useful knowledge and
expatriates during their international assign- the work unit's ability and motivation to
ment was critical, and research has found that incorporate and use such knowledge (Laz-
repatriates concur in the importance of this arova & Tarique, 2005; Oddou et al., 2009).
communication during their international And while luncheons and forums for repatri-
experiences (Lazarova &c Caligiuri, 2001). ates to share key learnings from their overseas
Moreover, conveying an importance of inter- experience may begin the process of knowl-
national work experience to expatriates may edge transfer, these practices are often deficit
help to frame the overseas assignment as a in and of themselves. They fail to promote
learning opportunity, thus encouraging the greater and consistent knowledge transfer,
development of leadership competencies. In because they often do not increase repatri-
fact, Euruya, Stevens, Bird, Oddou and Men- ates' readiness to transfer knowledge on an
denhall (2009) found a positive relationship ongoing basis nor do they enhance the work
between this form of organizational support unit's receptivity toward new knowledge —
two critical prerequisites to knowledge
transfer (Oddou et al., 2009).
Encouraging repatriate readiness
through job placement
Assuming that repatriates have amassed valu-
able knowledge during their overseas
assignment, it makes sense to consider in
which circumstances repatriates will be most
able and motivated to share and apply key
learnings from their international experience.
In line with arguments made by Oddou
(1991), existing management theory would
suggest that job placement of the repatriate is
critical. Burt ( 1990), a social network theorist,
would predict that informationflowwould be
greatest when the repatriate is placed into a
role where he or she fills a critical structural
hole — that is, the repatriate serves as a link-
ing pin between two networks of people that
would not be otherwise connected. Similarly,
Nonaka's work (1994) suggests that knowl-
edge transfer and potentially knowledge
creation are more likely to occur when repa-
triates are placed into work units where some
information they hold is redundant with oth-
ers and some is varied and distinct. Taken
together, this research suggests that if organi-
zations desire greater knowledge transfer
during repatriation, human resource profes-
sionals need to place repatriates into roles that
require them to link two or more teams or
units to accomplish the work. Moreover, ide-
ally, repatriates should have some shared
knowledge, understanding and/or experience
with each unit with whom they work, and a
variety in knowledge across their colleagues
should also exist. The commonality facilitates
a common language and framework for goal
accomplishment while the requisite variety in
knowledge across various individuals, not just
the repatriate, motivates a need to share and
exchange information more meaningfully and
consistently (Nonaka, 1994). Thus, careful
job placement of repatriates after their return
home into linking pin roles where some com-
monality and distinctiveness exists among
they and their new colleagues can increase the
likelihood of repatriates' readiness to share
knowledge. Moreover, this form of job place-
ment treats expatriates as a valued yet distinct
resource, a critical precursor to knowledge
transfer (Harvey &c Novicevic, 2006).
Encouraging work unit receptivity
To enhance knowledge transfer, many scholars
have noted the importance of a facilitative
context that encourages, rewards and rein-
forces knowledge sharing (e.g., Bartol &
Srivastava, 2002; Cabrera and Cabrera, 2005;
Cabrera, Collons and Salgado, 2006; Oddou
et al., 2009). One critical component of this
context appears to be leaders who prioritize,
support and facilitate collaboration and
knowledge transfer: in their study of 102 hotel
properties in the United States, Bartol, Locke
and Srivastava (2006) found that empowering
leadership was related to knowledge sharing
in teams, which in turn, was positively related
to team performance. Others have described
the type of culture leaders must cultivate to
encourage knowledge transfer: cultures that
are seen as egalitarian, fair, cooperative and
trusting (Cabrera & Cabrera, 2005; Yang,
2007). Second, researchers suggest the impor-
tance of incentives to motivate knowledge
Repatriates should have some shared knowledge,
understanding and/or experience with each unit with
whom they work, and a variety in knowledge across
their colleagues should also exist.
transfer. Incentive systems that reward knowl-
edge sharing behaviors among individuals,
the population and use of knowledge manage-
ment systems, group-based collaboration
across units within the organization have
been suggested as important ways to motivate
knowledge sharing (Bartol & Srivastava,
2002; Cabrera and Cabrera, 2005). Lastly,
scholars have argued that knowledge transfer
is enhanced when systems or practices exist
to meaningfully capture and use shared
knowledge (Cabrera & Cabrera, 2005; Laz-
arova & Tarique, 2005; Oddou et al., 2009).
Together, this research describes the type of
work unit that might most receptive to repa-
triates' efforts to transfer their newly acquired
knowledge from overseas — one that has a
leader who explicitly prioritizes and supports
knowledge transfer among employees, thus
creating a collaborative culture; one that val-
ues and rewards knowledge sharing; and, one
that is equipped to support and use shared
knowledge routinely.
Implications and
Limitations of this Study
Implications for HR Professionals
Our findings suggest three key implications
for HR professionals to consider to achieve
the intended value from international assign-
ments indicated by our sampled executives
(i.e., develop leadership and transfer knowl-
edge). Eirst, they must align the anticipated
value of international assignments, how repa-
triation success is determined and the
practices intended to realize this value.
Through interviews with our sampled HR
executives, we found that companies were
frequently not carrying out adequate prac-
tices to connect the intended value of
international assignments and successful
repatriation. As Kraimer, Shaffer and Bolino
(2009) explain: if companies fail to appropri-
ately foster an employee's gained skills or
knowledge following completion of an inter-
national assignment, the repatriate will have
feelings of perceived underemployment, thus
leading to a lack of career advancement and
higher turnover intentions. This finding illus-
trates the importance of creating and actively
implementing practices to support the repa-
triate throughout the entire repatriation
process to connect perceived value of inter-
national assignments and how repatriation
success is measured.
Second, our study reveals a need for career
counseling for repatriates. This counseling
can help to identify the experience base of the
expatriate and facilitate a clearer understand-
ing of a more coherent sequence of job
assignments. In preparation for these counsel-
ing sessions, human resource professionals
mayfindit helpful to ask these basic questions
to assess the career planning needs of the repa-
triate and the level of challenge, support and
assessment inherent in possible subsequent
job assignments for returning expatriates:
• Given the strategic direction of the organi-
zation, do we need to develop this particu-
lar repatriate's depth, versatility or both?
• Given the goal of depth, versatility or both,
how did the overseas assignment help
achieve this goal?
<• Given the goal of depth, versatility or both,
how does the next assignment after return-
ing home from overseas promote this goal?
VOLUME 36/ISSUE 1 — 2013 55
 • Does this subsequent job assignment after
return home offer sufficient challenge?
o Does it offer the opportunity to master
knowledge and responsibilities the per-
son has not yet encountered? Does this
job provide the opportunity to envision
and enact a change initiative? Does this
job provide higher levels of responsibility
than what was offered during the over-
seas assignment? Does this job require
the person to influence and manage oth-
ers when he or she has no direct author-
ity? Does this job require the person to
lead people from different cultures, gen-
der, racial or ethnic backgrounds?
• To what extent will the repatriate be pro-
vided feedback on performance and support
throughout the repatriation process and in
his or her new job assignment? What type of
support will he or she need? What is the best
way to provide these forms of support?
If organizations hope to facilitate knowl-
edge transfer by utilizing international
assignments, then human resource profes-
sionals must thoughtfully consider how to
facilitate tbis knowledge transfer during the
repatriation process. Our integration of the
literature on knowledge sharing suggests
several questions that human resource pro-
fessionals may ask themselves to determine
how they might increase the likelihood that
knowledge transfer occurs when the expa-
triate returns home:
• In what parts of the organizations can this
expatriate play a critical linking pin role
— that is, a role that entails meaningfully
spanning with two or more teams or unit
to accomplish the work?
o In these possible linking pin roles, does tbe
expatriate have some shared knowledge,
experiences, and/or understanding with
others in the unit(s)? Unique knowledge?
To what extent do the other unit members
bring unique perspectives as well?
" To what extent does the possible job place-
ment exist within a culture supportive of
knowledge sharing? Does the leader truly
support knowledge transfer? Is sharing
knowledge rewarded and valued? Are
there systems and practices to capture and
use shared knowledge?
Study iinnitations
while intriguing, ourfindingsshould be inter-
preted in light of three limitations in our study.
First, despite being guaranteed confidentiality.
56 PEOPLE & STRATEGY
interviewees may have provided socially desir-
able responses to our interview questions and
either withheld information and/or discussed
their repatriation practices in a more positive
light. Given their stature in their respective
organizations, we assume our sampled execu-
tives were motivated to demonstrate the
positive aspects of their HR practices. At the
same time, however, many of our interviewed
executives revealed observations that did not
reflect well on the organization, suggesting to
us that social desirability bias did not entirely
drive our findings.
It is also possible that some interviewees
were not as thorough in sharing all the exist-
ing practices that their respective companies
utilize. Prior to each interview, we sent
respondents an interview structure to pre-
pare answers for the questions we intended
to ask. However, it is likely that the execu-
tives varied in their interview preparation
and may have accidentally forgotten infor-
mation during our conversation due to
inadequate preparation time or just may not
have considered information worthwhile
to mention.
Lastly, we would like to underscore that these
interviews are representative of 10 mid- to
large-sized, successful companies. As a result,
we do not know whether these results gener-
alize to smaller firms or larger organizations
that are not asfinanciallyprofitable. We also
are not clear whether these results would
hold if we sampled more firms in a wider
range of industries. Harvey (1989) for
instance, found differences across industry
segments in how human resource profession-
als viewed repatriation. Given our current
sample, we are unable to comment on wheth-
er such industry differences exist.
Conclusion
Our study represents an original and distinct
exploration of the organizational view of
repatriation and complements existing repa-
triation research that has predominantly
featured the expatriate experience. Through
this paper, we provide insight into the prac-
tices utilized by 10 highly successful firms
representing an array of industries. We com-
pare their practices with the broader
academic literature on management to offer
alternative methods aimed at achieving a
frequently cited goal of our correspondents:
leadership development (90 percent) and
knowledge transfer (90 percent). We found
that a disproportionate number of inter-
viewed companies do not provide a
sufficiently challenging and supportive envi-
ronment for repatriates upon return; yet,
there is ample evidence from the manage-
ment literature to illustrate that a high degree
of challenge and company support directly
correlates witb both knowledge transfer and
leadership development. Gonsequently, we
highlight job placement as a critical method
to accrue the maximum benefits from invest-
ing in expatriates and thereby, achieve tbese
goals. At the same time, our research opens
the door to empirically examine the efficacy
of job placement in easing adjustment,
enhancing leader development and encour-
aging knowledge transfer during the
repatriation process. [^O
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