Page 112 - DMGT548_GLOBAL_HRM

Unit 6: Re-entry and Career Issues

Notes
Figure 6.3: The Repatriate Role
Corporate Boundary

Role Sender: Recipient’s
Parent Company s s Role Behaviour
s
Cultural Boundary

Foreign s s Role
Subsidiary Conception

Source: International Studies of Management and Organisation, vol. 15, no. 1, p. 69

The period abroad does alter the person. The experiences of living and working in
another country can after the person’s self-efficacy. The expatriate position commonly
involves a more demanding job position. Learning how to successfully cope with
the various challenges encountered during the foreign assignment may give the
person more self-confidence, along with a broader perspective. These changes may
be subtle for some people, for others they can be profound – and are influenced by
factors such as length of time spent abroad, country of assignment, and individual
differences such as age and personality. The re-entry shock experienced by the
repatriate may be as much a function of the degree to which the person has altered.
Figure 6.4: Readjustment Challenge

Company changes s Home country
societal changes

Expatriation may lead
to altered perspective s
Repatriation
s s Exit
considered
‘new’ person
emerges
Family adjustment

Source: Dowling et al., International HRM (2005), p. 168
The repatriate encounters changes in the formal and informal information channels
in the home organisation, particularly if there has been widespread restructuring
and downsizing. Technological advances in the multinational may render the
repatriate’s functional skills and knowledge out dated. When coupled with other
job-related problems, these changes make work adjustment a difficult process.

(d) Loss of status and pay: The international assignment is a form of promotion. It carries
greater autonomy, a broader area of responsibility and, at the top management
level, a prominent role in the local community. The result is higher status. Some
expatriates use the term kingpin to describe their positions abroad. Upon return, the
repatriate is expected to resume his position within the home company – with the

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