We began to realize that the entire effectiveness of the assignment could be compromised by ignoring the spouse.
Effective human resource management of a company's global cadre does not end with the overseas assignment. It ends with the successful repatriation of the executive into company headquarters. In fact, long-term, proactive management of critical resources should begin with the end of the current assignment in mind - that is, it should begin with plans for the repatriation of the executive as part of his or her career path. The management of the reentry phase of the career cycle is as vital as the management of the cross-cultural entry and training; otherwise, the long-term benefits of that executive's international experience may be negated.53 Shortsightedly, many companies do little to minimize the potential effects of reverse culture shock (return shock). In fact, a survey of companies belonging to the American Society of Personnel Administration International (ASPAI) revealed that only 31 percent had formal repatriation programs for executives and only 35 percent of those included spouses. In addition, only 22 percent of those had conducted the programs prior to the executive's departure for the assignment.54 Those American companies without programs had various explanations: a lack of expertise in repatriation training, the cost of the programs, or a lack of a perceived need for such training.
The long-term implications of ineffective repatriation practices are clear - few good managers will be willing to take international assignments because they will see what happened to their colleagues. If a certain manager lost out on promotion opportunities while overseas and is now in fact worse off than before he or she left, the only people willing to take on foreign assignments in the future will be those who have not been able to succeed on the home front or those who think that a stint abroad will be like a vacation. In fact, research has shown that overseas assignments are commonly seen by employees as negative career moves in many U.S. multinational companies. However, such moves are seen as positive in most European, Japanese, and Australian companies because they consider international experience necessary for advancement to top management.
In a recent study of dual-career couples, “the perceived impact of the international assignment upon returning to the United States,” was one of the most important issues stated by managers regarding their willingness to relocate overseas.
Reverse culture shock occurs primarily because of the difficulty of reintegration into the organization but also because, generally speaking, the longer a person is away, the more difficult it is to get back into the swing of things. Not only might the manager have been overlooked and lost in the shuffle of a reorganization, but her or his whole family might have lost social contacts or jobs and feel out of step with their contemporaries. These feelings of alienation from what has always been perceived as “home” - because of the loss of contact with family, friends, and daily life - delay the resocialization process. Such a reaction is particularly serious if the family's overall financial situation has been hurt by the assignment and if the spouse's career has also been kept “on hold” while he or she was abroad.
For companies to maximize the long-term use of their international cadre, they need to make sure that the foreign assignment and the reintegration process are positive experiences. This means careful a freer planning, support while overseas, and the use of the increased experience and skills of returned managers to benefit the home office, Research into the practices of successful U.S., European, Japanese, and Australian MNCs indicates the use of one or more of the following support systems, as recommended by Tung, for a successful repatriation program:
• A mentor program to monitor the expatriate's career path while abroad and upon repatriation
As an alternative to the mentor program, the establishment of a special organizational unit for the purposes of career planning and continuing guidance for the expatriate
• A system of supplying information and maintaining contacts with the expatriate so that he or she may continue to feel a part of the home organization.
Preparation, -Adaptation, and Repatriation . - : Developing a Global Management Cadre article from Global Human Resource Management Catagory Preparation, -Adaptation, and Repatriation . -
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