Repatriate career exploration: a path to career growth and success

Knowledge sharing behaviour of overqualified repatriates

Purpose

Organizations send their employees for international assignments so as to develop their international working experiences, their global knowledge and skills. These employees are then expected to return to their home countries (hereof known as repatriates) to share their newly gained knowledge or skills with their colleagues. This practice would benefit the organization's performance to some extent. Nonetheless, past literature had pointed out that many of such repatriates tend to leave their respective organizations as a result of not being able to fully utilize their newly acquired knowledge and skills, which led them to perceive that they were overqualified. This occurrence could lead to a loss of valuable knowledge for their organization. Aiming to address this issue at hand, the current study focuses on examining of the antecedents that could influence these repatriates' knowledge sharing behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a research framework which was developed from three aspects of interest–perceived overqualification, affective commitment and the moderating effect of repatriation support practices on knowledge sharing behaviour of repatriates. Structural model analysis was carried out to assess 152 useable data which were collected from returning corporate repatriates in Malaysia. The SmartPLS 3.0 software was applied.

Findings

Repatriates with highly perceived overqualifications tend to exhibit low affective commitment. The impact of their perceived overqualification on knowledge sharing behaviour was fully mediated by their affective commitment. Repatriation support practice was found to strengthen the positive relationship between affective commitment and knowledge sharing behaviour.

Originality/value

The use of the relative deprivation theory showed that the outcome derived from this study could serve as an insight for organizations to understand how those repatriates' perception of overqualification influences their level of affective commitment, and subsequently, the extent to which they share knowledge upon returning.

Repatriation of international assignees

Purpose

Repatriation continues to be a current challenge for many international firms. While this topic has received only limited attention in literature in the past, it has aroused an increased academic interest since the 2000s. Until now, however, thorough analyses of advancements in this field, which go beyond a pure content-related review, are still scarce in research. To address this gap, this study provides a systematic and comprehensive literature review of repatriation from an ecological systems perspective. The purpose of this paper is threefold: to analyze where and when repatriation research has been published, what aspects (e.g. topics, theories, and contexts) have been considered in the repatriation literature, and how the research has been conducted (e.g. employed methodologies). Based on the findings implications for future research are developed.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on a systematic literature review of 96 peer-reviewed articles from 1973 to 2016.

Findings

The results of the study reveal that repatriation has found its way into journals of different disciplines. By employing an ecological systems theoretical perspective, the study shows that research on repatriation covers a broad set of ecological systems to explain repatriation outcomes. Quantitative approaches are fairly prominent in repatriation research, whereas the use of qualitative approaches has increased lately. Mixed-methods approaches, however, are still scarce in the repatriation literature. Moreover, the results outline that the majority of scholars collected data on the individual level. With regard to methodological rigor (both design and analysis), a steady use of linear regression modeling in quantitative articles was found, whereas more sophisticated methodological approaches such as structural equation modeling and longitudinal studies have only recently found their way into repatriation research. Finally, by considering that the expatriate literature addresses a variety of types of expatriation, this study highlights that research on repatriation should differentiate more thoroughly between types of repatriates to provide target-group-oriented recommendations and to deepen the understanding of the repatriation phenomenon.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the repatriation research in several ways. First, it provides a systematic analysis of the repatriation literature from an ecological systems theoretical lens. By combining this content-related analysis with an investigation of methodological issues, the study outlines which ecological systems have been covered in the literature on repatriation, where the strengths and weaknesses of this literature stream lay, and in which direction future avenues of research should move. Moreover, the study highlights which methodological shortcomings are still existent in the repatriation literature and shows that a differentiated viewpoint on repatriates like in the expatriation literature is still in an embryonic stage in repatriation research. Finally, it contributes to the repatriation research by deducing valuable recommendations for future research.

How and why does expatriation management influence expatriates’ employability?

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer a timely assessment of the influence of human resource (HR) processes and policies on expatriates’ employability, using a Dutch international engineering firm as the study setting.

Design/methodology/approach

The qualitative study, based on in-depth interviews with 15 respondents in various roles, such as expatriates, repatriates, HR managers and line managers, is complemented by a document analysis of HR policy reports about expatriation processes.

Findings

Expatriation management influences the internal employability of engineering expatriates, yet most HR policies related to expatriation work are counterproductive in terms of in-company employability of expatriates.

Research limitations/implications

Further research could extend this single case study by differentiating engineering from management functions and addressing employability implications for other assignments and other forms of expatriation. Comparisons are also possible across various stakeholders with regard to social support.

Practical implications

HR management can follow several prescriptions revealed by this study to increase expatriates’ employability within the organization.

Originality/value

This study is among the first to relate expatriation processes to the dimensions of employability.

Inspecting the Dangers of Feeling like a Fake: An Empirical Investigation of the Impostor Phenomenon in the World of Work

To investigate the link between the impostor phenomenon (IP), career self-management (CSM) factors, and work-relevant outcomes, we looked at the IP's impact on career optimism, career adaptability, and knowledge of the job market, as well as on employee- and organizationally-relevant outcomes. We analyzed data from 238 working professionals (57% female) using parallel multiple mediation analyses. The results revealed that the IP was negatively related to all work-relevant outcomes through decreased CSM factors, which were subsequently associated with the outcomes. As hypothesized, employee-relevant subjective outcomes were mediated by optimism and employee-relevant objective (i.e., economic) outcomes by adaptability and knowledge. Additional mediating effects occurred. Regarding organizationally relevant outcomes, adaptability mediated the IP's impact on organizational citizenship behavior. The IP was only indirectly related to continuance commitment through adaptability and to affective commitment through optimism. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications and offer ideas for future research.

Validierung einer deutschsprachigen Version des Career Futures Inventory (CFI)

Das Career Futures Inventory (CFI; Rottingaus, Day & Borgen, 2005 ) erfasst die drei laufbahnbezogenen Zukunftsfaktoren career adaptability (Berufliche Anpassungsfähigkeit), career optimism (Beruflicher Optimismus) und knowledge of job market (Arbeitsmarktwissen). Die Ziele dieser Studie waren (a) eine deutschsprachige Version des CFIs zu konstruieren und (b) an zwei Stichproben mit Erwerbstätigen mittels (c) unterschiedlicher Indikatoren des Berufserfolgs und anhand von Persönlichkeitseigenschaften zu validieren. Es konnte in beiden Stichproben (N1 = 153; N2 = 110) die 3-faktorielle Struktur des CFIs nachgewiesen werden. Zudem konnten Annahmen zur konvergenten und diskriminanten Validität in beiden Stichproben bestätigt werden, da die CFI-Faktoren in erwarteter Richtung mit Berufserfolg (z. B. Beförderungen, Karrierezufriedenheit) bzw. Persönlichkeitseigenschaften (d. h. Big Five) korrelierten bzw. nicht korrelierten. Eine Analyse der inkrementellen Validität zeigte, dass Arbeitsmarktwissen zusätzliche Varianz beim Gehalt über Kontrollvariablen und Persönlichkeit hinaus erklärte. Hinsichtlich Karrierezufriedenheit war dies für beruflichen Optimismus der Fall. Diese Validierungsstudie ermöglicht den Einsatz des CFIs im deutschsprachigen Raum.

Vietnamese Students' Transitions in Study Abroad Programs

Vietnam is at a pivotal point in positioning itself within the global economy. As organisations and government agendas are pushing for a more skilled workforce, it is evident that Vietnam has to deal with the implications for the changing educational landscape. This article presents a review of the literature related to study abroad, looking at examples from neighbouring countries as models and the implications these might have for Vietnam. Push and pull factors contribute to the reasons that more Vietnamese are looking to study abroad programs. The numbers of people choosing to study abroad is projected to climb as more self-funded and career-minded individuals look outwards to gain advanced qualifications. University career services can play an important role in supporting students exiting and returning home, to help to maximise their learning abroad and to integrate more effectively upon their return home.

20 Jahre Rückanpassungsforschung – eine Metaanalyse

Der Horizont der Reintegrationsforschung wird in jüngerer Zeit stark erweitert. Während frühere Arbeiten vor allem die Rückanpassung untersuchten, heben neuere Arbeiten andere Facetten des Karriereerfolgs hervor. An diesem Wendepunkt ist eine Konsolidierung der zwanzigjährigen Rückanpassungsforschung angebracht. Der Artikel legt die erste Metaanalyse der Rückanpassung vor und bereinigt die empirischen Primärstudien um Stichprobenfehler und Messfehler. Es bestätigen sich hohe Korrelationen zwischen der Arbeitsrückanpassung und vier zentralen Variablen: (1) Klarheit der Reintegrationsprogramme und -prozesse, (2) Rollenklarheit, (3) Rollenbezogene Entscheidungsfreiheit und (4) Rollenkonflikte. Für die Unternehmenspraxis zeigen die Ergebnisse Faktoren auf, mit denen Unternehmen die Rückanpassung ihrer Repatriates an das Heimatland unterstützen können. Für die Personal- und Managementforschung legt die Metaanalyse nahe, den empirischen Fokus auf andere Konstrukte des Reintegrationserfolgs zu verlagern.