Transnational career management is increasingly important and critical for major firms. Multinational corporations have grown in numbers with globalization, and the crucial role played by emerging markets calls for competent managers able to act in cultural contexts that are very different from one’s country of origin; increasingly, in transnational alliances and business mergers the crucial factor for success is the strategy for the management of human resources. The effectiveness of implementing such a strategy is dependent upon the ability of managing very different organizational cultures, rather than innovating on given structures.
Also, managers more and more work in international teams without leaving their countries of origin. And it goes without saying that successful multinational firms are those who have the distinctive capacity of creating, transferring and integrating knowledge across national borders. Managing international careers is a difficult task. And if the departure of a manager can be a critical event, his return can be even more so, as reported in the literature on international human resource management.
Why managers’ repatriations are so burdened with problems? Essentially for two reasons: career development opportunities, and aspects linked to logistics, which are often overlooked by firms, because the manager is coming “back home” so he/she is not expected to have problems. It might appear strange, but while it is true that international jobs are accepted both for financial rewards and career advancement, many are disillusioned by not finding home what they were promised, and so they leave. We know that up to 50% of managers returning from a position abroad resign for this reason. The main source of frustration is usually not being able to put to fruition the skills developed in the international post, either due to lack of career advancement, or to the fact that when you’re used make complex international deals, home positions are relatively less interesting and challenging.
Managing the repatriation process of an international manager is as important as expatriation. The risk is to disappoint individual expectations, thereby rendering empty the original intent to develop managers with international skills and experience. If they feel frustrated and let down, managers would rather spend their next mission abroad with another company, which will capitalize on the human capital investment made by the previous employer.
by Silvia Bagdadli,
Director of Master in Strategic Human Resource Management