Why does repatriate career success vary? An empirical investigation from both traditional and protean career perspectives

• Author: Benjamin Bader,Anika Breitenmoser,Nicola Berg
• Date: 01 September 2018
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21888
• Published date: 01 September 2018

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Why does repatriate career success vary? An empirical

investigation from both traditional and protean career

perspectives

Anika Breitenmoser

1

| Benjamin Bader

2

| Nicola Berg

1

1

University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

2

Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Lüneburg,

Germany

Correspondence

Benjamin Bader, Leuphana University of

Lüneburg, Institute of Corporate

Development, Scharnhorststrasse 1, 21335

Lüneburg, Germany.

Email: benjamin.bader@leuphana.de

Abstract

To increase the long-term benefits of global mobility for multinational corporations, interna-

tional assignments and intraorganizational careers must be strategically integrated. However,

systematic research on former expatriates' career success upon returning to their home organi-

zation remains scarce. Hence, this study transfers findings from the career literature to the

repatriation context to identify the predictors of objective and subjective repatriate career suc-

cess. Integrating traditional and protean career theory, we investigate data from 295 repatriates

of publicly listed German organizations. Applying partial least squares structural equation

modeling, we reveal that objective career success upon repatriation is affected by international

assignment characteristics with human capital implications, repatriation support provided by

the organization, and the individual's self-directed career management. Objective career suc-

cess, organizational repatriation support, and self-directed career management further affect

subjective career success in terms of career satisfaction. Hence, substantiating an impact of

both traditional and protean career factors on repatriate careers, our results lay the ground-

work for repatriation strategies that combine organizational and individual career management.

In this way, multinational corporations can go beyond managing repatriate elites to make better

use of all globally experienced employees.

KEYWORDS

careers, international HRM, structural equation modeling

1|INTRODUCTION

Global mobility in the form of international assignments (IAs) has

become an integral part of the daily business of multinational corpo-

rations (MNCs). While MNCs' IA management initially focused on

facilitating the stay of expatriates overseas (e.g., Tung, 1987), interest

in the long-term benefits of IAs is increasing steadily (e.g., Brookfield

Relocation Services, 2016; Collings, 2014). In the host country, expa-

triates have various opportunities to develop human capital related

to international business (IB). Upon their return to the home country,

this human capital can provide a source of competitive advantage to

MNCs (Oddou et al., 2013), thus increasing corporate performance if

former expatriates work in positions of responsibility (Carpenter,

Sanders, & Gregersen, 2001). The strategic integration of IAs and

intraorganizational careers therefore is one of the greatest challenges

currently faced by MNCs engaging in global mobility (Brookfield Relo-

cation Services, 2016).

However, the relationship between expatr iation and career suc-

cess upon repatriation remains poorly manage d and remarkably

underresearched. Explorative work indicates that some individuals

are promoted when they return to the home countr y, whereas

others complain about career stagnation or even derailment

(e.g., Aldossari & Robertson, 2016; Jass awalla & Sashittal, 2009).

Nevertheless, very few studies to date systematically analyze the

drivers of objective (Bolino, 2007; Kraim er, Shaffer, & Bolino, 2009)

and subjective (Ren, Bolino, Shaffer, & Kraime r, 2013) repatriate

career success. This is critical, as re patriate career success plays a

central role in the long-term benefits of IA s. It not only affects

DOI: 10.1002/hrm.21888

Hum Resour Manage. 2018;57:1049–1063. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hrm © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 1049