Abstract
Anecdotal accounts and reports in the popular press often suggest that international assignments are critical for employees who seek to move up the career ladder more quickly. Nevertheless, previous research on repatriation indicates that many former expatriates feel that their overseas assignments have harmed, rather than helped, their careers. Relatively little research, though, has sought to understand how expatriate assignments might be related to career success. This paper, then, presents a conceptual model describing the relationship between expatriate assignments and intra-organizational career success. Specifically, theories of career mobility are used to develop a framework for outlining the factors likely to determine whether expatriate assignments help or hinder the advancement of employees who have worked as international assignees. The model also indicates that repatriate career success influences an organization's ability to retain its current repatriates and recruit future expatriates. Some implications of this research and directions for future research are discussed as well.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adler, N.J. (1981) ‘Re-entry: Managing cross-cultural transitions’, Group and Organization Studies 6 (3): 341–356.
Allen, D. and Alvarez, S.A. (1998) ‘Empowering expatriates and organizations to improve repatriation effectiveness’, Human Resource Planning 21 (4): 29–39.
Anderson, J.C., Milkovich, G.T. and Tsui, A. (1981) ‘A model of intra-organizational mobility’, Academy of Management Review 6 (4): 529–538.
Aryee, S., Chay, Y.W. and Chew, J. (1996) ‘An investigation of the willingness of managerial employees to accept an expatriate assignment’, Journal of Organizational Behavior 17 (3): 267–283.
Bartlett, C. and Ghoshal, S. (1989) Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution, Harvard Business School Press: Boston, MA.
Baughn, C. (1995) ‘Personal and Organizational Factors Associated with Effective Repatriation’, in J. Selmer (ed.) Expatriate Management: New Ideas for International Business, Quorum Books: Westport, CT, pp: 215–230.
Becker, G. (1964) Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis with Special Reference to Education, Columbia University Press: New York.
Bhaskar-Shrinivas, P., Harrison, D.A., Shaffer, M.A. and Luk, D.M. (2005) ‘Input-based and time-based models of international adjustment: meta-analytic evidence and theoretical extensions’, Academy of Management Journal 48 (2): 257–280.
Black, J.S. (1992) ‘Coming home: the relationship of expatriate expectations with repatriation adjustment and job performance’, Human Relations 45 (2): 177–192.
Black, J.S. and Gregersen, H.B. (1991) ‘When Yankee comes home: factors related to expatriate and spouse repatriation adjustment’, Journal of International Business Studies 22 (4): 671–694.
Black, J.S., Gregersen, H.B. and Mendenhall, M.E. (1992) ‘Toward a theoretical framework of repatriation adjustment’, Journal of International Business Studies 23 (4): 737–760.
Black, J.S., Mendenhall, M. and Oddou, G. (1991) ‘Toward a comprehensive model of international adjustment: an integration of multiple theoretical perspectives’, Academy of Management Review 16 (2): 291–317.
Black, J.S., Morrison, A.J. and Gregersen, H.B. (1999) Global Explorers: The Next Generation of Leaders, Routledge: New York.
Bolino, M.C. and Feldman, D.C. (2000) ‘The antecedents and consequences of underemployment among expatriates’, Journal of Organizational Behavior 21 (8): 889–911.
Borstorff, P.C., Harris, S.G., Feild, H.S. and Giles, W.F. (1997) ‘Who'll go? A review of factors associated with employee willingness to work overseas’, Human Resource Planning 20 (3): 29–41.
Bossard, A.B. and Peterson, R.B. (2005) ‘The repatriate experience as seen by American expatriates’, Journal of World Business 40 (1): 9–28.
Caligiuri, P.M. (2000) ‘The big five personality characteristics as predictors of expatriate's desire to terminate the assignment and supervisor-rated performance’, Personnel Psychology 53 (1): 67–88.
Carpenter, M.A. and Fredrickson, J.W. (2001) ‘Top management teams, global strategic posture, and the moderating role of uncertainty’, Academy of Management Journal 44 (3): 533–545.
Carpenter, M.A., Sanders, W.G. and Gregersen, H.B. (2001) ‘Bundling human capital with organizational context: the impact of international assignment experience on multinational firm performance and CEO pay’, Academy of Management Journal 44 (3): 493–511.
Daily, C.M., Certo, S.T. and Dalton, D.R. (2000) ‘International experience in the executive suite: the path to prosperity?’ Strategic Management Journal 21 (4): 515–523.
Edstrom, A. and Galbraith, J.R. (1977) ‘Transfer of managers as a coordination and control strategy in multinational organizations’, Administrative Science Quarterly 22 (2): 248–263.
Feldman, D.C. and Thomas, D.C. (1992) ‘Career management issues facing expatriates’, Journal of International Business Studies 23 (2): 271–294.
Fisher, A. (1997) ‘Six ways to supercharge your career’, Fortune 135 (1): 46–48.
Fisher, A. (2005) ‘Offshoring could boost your career’, Fortune 151 (2): 36.
Forster, N. (1997) ‘The persistent myth of high expatriate failure rates: a reappraisal’, International Journal of Human Resource Management 8 (4): 414–433.
GMAC Global Relocation Services (2004) Global Relocation Trends 2003/2004 Survey Report, GMAC Global Relocation Services, National Foreign Trade Council, and SHRM Global Forum: Oak Brook, IL.
Gregersen, H.B. (1992) ‘Commitments to a parent company and a local work unit during repatriation’, Personnel Psychology 45 (1): 29–54.
Gregersen, H.B. and Stroh, L.K. (1997) ‘Coming home to the arctic cold: antecedents to Finnish expatriate and spouse repatriation adjustment’, Personnel Psychology 50 (3): 635–654.
Gregersen, H.B., Morrison, A.J. and Black, J.S. (1998) ‘Developing leaders for the global frontier’, Sloan Management Review 40 (1): 21–32.
Gunz, H.P. and Jalland, R.M. (1996) ‘Managerial careers and business strategies’, Academy of Management Review 21 (3): 718–756.
Gupta, A.K. and Govindarajan, V. (1991) ‘Knowledge flows and the structure of control within multinational corporations’, Academy of Management Review 16 (4): 768–792.
Gupta, A.K. and Govindarajan, V. (2000) ‘Managing global expansion: a conceptual framework’, Business Horizons 43 (2): 45–54.
Guzzo, R.A., Noonan, K.A. and Elron, E. (1994) ‘Expatriate managers and the psychological contract’, Journal of Applied Psychology 79 (4): 617–626.
Harris, J.E. (1989) ‘Moving managers internationally: the care and feeding of expatriates’, Human Resource Planning 12 (1): 49–53.
Harrison, D.A. and Shaffer, M.A. (2005) ‘Mapping the criterion space for expatriate success: task- and relationship-based performance, effort and adaptation’, International Journal of Human Resource Management 16 (8): 1454–1474.
Harvey, M.G. (1989) ‘Repatriation of corporate executives: an empirical study’, Journal of International Business Studies 20 (1): 131–144.
Harvey, M.G. and Novicevic, M. (2001) ‘Selecting expatriates for increasingly complex global assignments’, Career Development International 6 (2/3): 69–86.
Harzing, A.K. (1995) ‘The persistent myth of high expatriate failure rates’, International Journal of Human Resource Management 6 (2): 457–474.
Hauser, J. (1998) ‘Making the most of your investment’, HR Focus 75 (3): S6.
Hsieh, T., Lavoie, J. and Samek, R. (1999) ‘Are you taking your expatriate talent seriously?’, The McKinsey Quarterly 3: 71–83.
Johnston, M.W., Griffeth, R.W., Burton, S. and Carson, P.P. (1993) ‘An exploratory investigation into the relationship between promotion and turnover: a quasi-experimental longitudinal study’, Journal of Management 19 (1): 33–49.
Judge, T.A. and Bretz, R.D. (1994) ‘Political influence behavior and career success’, Journal of Management 20 (1): 43–65.
Judge, T.A., Cable, D.M., Boudreau, J.W. and Bretz, R.D. (1995) ‘An empirical investigation of the predictors of executive career success’, Personnel Psychology 48 (3): 485–519.
Kilduff, M. and Day, D. (1994) ‘Do chameleons get ahead? The effects of self-monitoring on managerial careers’, Academy of Management Journal 37 (4): 1047–1060.
Kobrin, S.J. (1988) ‘Expatriate reduction and strategic control in American multinational corporations’, Human Resource Management 27 (1): 63–75.
Konopaske, R. and Werner, S. (2005) ‘US managers’ willingness to accept a global assignment: do expatriate benefits and assignment length make a difference?’, International Journal of Human Resource Management 16 (7): 1159–1175.
Konopaske, R., Robie, C. and Ivancevich, J.M. (2005) ‘A preliminary model of spouse influence on managerial global assignment willingness’, International Journal of Human Resource Management 16 (3): 405–426.
Kostova, T. and Roth, K. (2003) ‘Social capital in multinational corporations and a micro-macro model of its formation’, Academy of Management Review 28 (2): 297–317.
Kraimer, M.L. and Wayne, S.J. (2004) ‘An examination of perceived organizational support as a multidimensional construct in the context of an expatriate assignment’, Journal of Management 30 (2): 209–237.
London, M. and Stumpf, S.A. (1982) Managing Careers, Addison-Wesley: Reading, MA.
Lublin, J. (1996) ‘An overseas stint can be a ticket to the top’, Wall Street Journal, 29 January: B1.
Lyness, K.S. and Thompson, D.E. (2000) ‘Climbing the corporate ladder: do female and male executives follow the same route?’ Journal of Applied Psychology 85 (1): 86–101.
Martin, J. (2004) ‘The global CEO’, Chief Executive, January/February: 24–31.
Mendenhall, M., Kuhlmann, T., Stahl, G. and Osland, J. (2002) ‘Employee Development and Expatriate Assignments’, in M. Gannon and K. Newman (eds.) The Blackwell Handbook of Cross-Cultural Management, Blackwell Publishers: Oxford, pp: 155–183.
McEvoy, G.M. and Parker, B. (1995) ‘Expatriate Adjustment: Causes and Consequences’, in J. Selmer (ed.) Expatriate Management: New Ideas for International Business, Quorum Books: Westport, CT, pp: 97–114.
Ng, T.W., Eby, L.T., Sorenson, K.L. and Feldman, D.C. (2005) ‘Predictors of objective and subjective career success: a meta-analysis’, Personnel Psychology 58 (2): 367–408.
Nohria, N. and Ghoshal, S. (1994) ‘Differentiated fit and shared values: alternatives for managing headquarters–subsidiary relations’, Strategic Management Journal 15 (6): 491–502.
O'Hara, K.B., Beehr, T.A. and Colarelli, S.M. (1994) ‘Organizational centrality: a third dimension of intraorganizational career movement’, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 30 (2): 198–216.
Orpen, C. (1998) ‘The effects of organizational centrality on employee career success and satisfaction’, Social Behavior and Personality 26 (1): 85–88.
Peltonen, T. (1997) ‘Facing the rankings from the past: a tournament perspective on repatriate career mobility’, International Journal of Human Resource Management 8 (1): 106–123.
Reuber, A. and Fischer, E. (1997) ‘The influence of the management team's international experience on internationalization behaviors of SMEs’, Journal of International Business Studies 28 (4): 807–825.
Riusala, K. and Suutari, V. (2000) ‘Expatriation and careers: perspectives of expatriates and spouses’, Career Development International 5 (2): 81–90.
Roth, K. (1995) ‘Managing international interdependence: CEO characteristics in a resource-based framework’, Academy of Management Journal 38 (1): 200–231.
Sambharya, R.B. (1996) ‘Foreign experience of top management teams and international diversification strategies of US multinational corporations’, Strategic Management Journal 17 (9): 739–746.
Sanders, W.G. and Carpenter, M.A. (1998) ‘Internationalization and firm governance: the roles of CEO compensation, top team composition, and board structure’, Academy of Management Journal 41 (2): 158–178.
Schein, E.H. (1971) ‘The individual, the organization, and the career: a conceptual scheme’, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 7 (4): 401–426.
Schein, E.H. (1978) Career Dynamics: Matching Individual and Organizational Needs, Addison-Wesley: Reading, MA.
Seibert, S.E., Crant, J.M. and Kraimer, M.L. (1999) ‘Proactive personality and career success’, Journal of Applied Psychology 84 (3): 416–427.
Seibert, S.E., Kraimer, M.L. and Liden, R.C. (2001) ‘A social capital theory of career success’, Academy of Management Journal 44 (2): 219–237.
Selmer, J. (1999) ‘Career issues and international adjustment of business expatriates’, Career Development International 4 (2): 77–87.
Selmer, J. (2004) ‘Psychological barriers to adjustment of Western business expatriates in China: newcomers vs. long stayers’, International Journal of Human Resource Management 15 (4/5): 794–813.
Shaffer, M.A. and Harrison, D.A. (1998) ‘Expatriates’ psychological withdrawal from international assignments: work, nonwork, and family influences’, Personnel Psychology 51 (1): 87–118.
Shaffer, M.A., Harrison, D.A., Gregersen, H.B., Black, J.S. and Ferzandi, L.A. (2006) ‘You can take it with you: individual differences and expatriate effectiveness’, Journal of Applied Psychology 91 (1): 109–125.
Shay, J.P. and Baack, S.A. (2004) ‘Expatriate assignment, adjustment and effectiveness: an empirical examination of the big picture’, Journal of International Business Studies 35 (3): 216–232.
Stahl, G.K., Miller, E.L. and Tung, R.L. (2002) ‘Toward the boundaryless career: a closer look at the expatriate career concept and the perceived implications of an international assignment’, Journal of World Business 37 (3): 216–227.
Stroh, L.K. (1995) ‘Predicting turnover among repatriates: can organizations affect retention rates?’, International Journal of Human Resource Management 6 (2): 443–456.
Stroh, L.K., Gregersen, H.B. and Black, J.S. (1998) ‘Closing the gap: expectations versus reality among repatriates’, Journal of World Business 33 (2): 111–124.
Stroh, L.K., Gregersen, H.B. and Black, J.S. (2000) ‘Triumphs and tragedies: expectations and commitments upon repatriation’, International Journal of Human Resource Management 11 (4): 681–697.
Stroh, L.K., Black, J.S., Mendenhall, M.E. and Gregersen, H.B. (2005) International Assignments: An Integration of Strategy, Research, and Practice, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ.
Suutari, V. (2003) ‘Global managers: career orientation, career tracks, life-style implications, and career commitment’, Journal of Managerial Psychology 18 (3): 185–207.
Takeuchi, R., Tesluk, P., Yun, S. and Lepak, D. (2005) ‘An integrative view of international experience’, Academy of Management Journal 48 (1): 85–100.
Tung, R.L. (1998) ‘American expatriates abroad: from neophytes to cosmopolitans’, Journal of World Business 33 (2): 125–144.
van der Velde, M.E., Bossink, C.J. and Jansen, P.G. (2005) ‘Gender differences in the determinants of the willingness to accept an international assignment’, Journal of Vocational Behavior 66 (1): 81–103.
Wayne, S.J., Liden, R.C., Kraimer, M.L. and Graf, I.K. (1999) ‘The role of human capital, motivation and supervisor sponsorship in predicting career success’, Journal of Organizational Behavior 20 (5): 577–595.
Welch, D.E. (2003) ‘Globalization of staff movements: beyond cultural adjustment’, Management International Review 43 (2): 149–169.
Yan, A., Zhu, G. and Hall, D.T. (2002) ‘International assignments for career building: a model of agency relationships and psychological contracts’, Academy of Management Review 27 (3): 373–391.
Yan, R. (1998) ‘Short-term results: the litmus test for success in China’, Harvard Business Review 76 (5): 61–75.
Acknowledgements
I thank JIBS Departmental Editor Professor Mary Ann Von Glinow and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful feedback on earlier drafts of this article.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Accepted by Mary Ann Von Glinow, Departmental Editor, 25 November 2006. This paper has been with the author for two revisions.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bolino, M. Expatriate assignments and intra-organizational career success: implications for individuals and organizations. J Int Bus Stud 38, 819–835 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400290
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400290