The three most common criteria found in

studies of expatriate success have been:

(1) Completion of the foreign
Assignment,
(2) cross-cultural adjustment while on assignment, and
(3)performance on the foreign assignment.
Using confirmatory factor analysis, results supported the hypothesis that these
three criteria, while often treated as a unitary construct, are in fact separate
constructs. The relationships among these three criteria were examined using
data collected from expatriates working in foreign subsidiaries of a U.S.-based
multinational organization.

THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF FACTORS PERCEIVED TO

CONTRIBUTE TO SUCCESS
The present study sought to empirically identify what factors are important for
international assignee perceived success along with their relative importance.
Subjects were 338 international assignees from diverse countries (nationality) and
organizations, assigned to diverse countries, and performing diverse jobs. Five
factors were identified and in a descending order of importance, these were Family
situation, Flexibility/Adaptability, Job Knowledge and Motivation, Relational Skills,
and Extra-Cultural Openness. Although importance ratings were not influenced by
job type (managerial/ non managerial status), they were influenced by
organizational type. In general, the pat- tern of importance ratings for service
organization international assignees was different from those of international
assignees from other organizational types. Furthermore, service organization
international assignees ascribed more importance to relational and psycho-social
factors. The perceived relative importance of psycho-social factors re- ported by
the study's participants tends to suggest that more attention should be paid to
these factors in the selection and training of international assignees.

5 Tips for Managing Successful Overseas Assignments

Sending talented employees overseas can be a promising way to leverage

the benefits of a global economy. But expatriate assignments can be
extremely expensive: up to three times the cost of a persons typical annual
salary, according to some statistics. And despite the investment, many
organizations lack the know-how for optimizing the potential benefits,
leaving them disappointed with the results. The unfortunate reality is that
even companies providing well-crafted relocation packages (including the allimportant cultural training) may not have the talent management
mechanisms in place to truly leverage the valuable skills expatriate
employees gain during their assignments.
We spoke with seven different executives and consultants with deep
experience managing the expat process, asking what theyve learned over
the years about how to maximize the value of these critical assignments. We
discovered five tips for increasing the return on investment of your overseas
assignments.

Have a compelling purpose and the right person.

Before you send anyone abroad, its critical to make a business case for the
assignment, just like you would for any other important investment or
decision. There should be a clear organizational need and a compelling
reason that this need cant be met through a local hire. Everyone we spoke
with also emphasized the importance of selecting the right people, for the
right reasons. This involves three things: choosing a person who is openminded and committed enough to adapt to the local culture, thinking about
the specific skills that this person will develop as a result of the assignment,
and identifying how these new skills will ultimately benefit the organization.
In some companies, for example, international experience is a requirement
for moving into leadership positions. In others, there may be a particular
need at an overseas office that only a person with a specific skill set can
meet. If you cant think of meaningful ways that the assignment will help
both the person and the business move forward, you should probably rethink
the assignment.

Assign top-notch home and host sponsors.

As assignees delve into their new roles overseas and companies plug the
holes left behind by absent employees, its easy for companies to lose touch
with people they send abroad. Just as with remote or virtual employees,
expats find that keeping up with their email isnt necessarily the same as

having their finger on the pulse of the office, which can be a constant
reminder of how different and faraway their former life really is. To prevent
your worker from feeling adrift, provide sponsors to oversee the assignees
experience on both ends one at the home base and another at the
destination. These individuals are the point people and mentors for ensuring
the fit from the company perspective, the fit from the assignees perspective,
and for comanaging the process throughout. In short, they are the people
that the assignee can turn to whenever problems emerge.
The most successful sponsors are typically people who have been abroad
themselves and are empathetic and understanding about the experience
not only with regard to what an assignment entails and what can be
gained but also with how challenging it can be to go overseas and return.
They should also have enough experience in the organization that they can
help mentor the assignee on how to maneuver around potential obstacles
and make the most of the assignment.

Stay in frequent contact throughout the assignment.

If there was one tip that everyone we spoke with agreed on, it was the
critical importance of open, frequent communication throughout the
assignment. While the assignee needs to be proactive in reaching out to his
or her home sponsor, the home sponsor should keep soon-to-be-returning
employees top of mind, identifying how the company can leverage what they
are learning and how the employee can take the next steps in their own
development at the company as a result of their overseas experience. This
communication should follow a highly structured process. For example, one
company we spoke with builds in monthly check-ins. The assignee can
update the host, home sponsors, and other relevant stakeholders not only on
how the assignment is proceeding but also on any important knowledge they
have acquired that may be of immediate use to the organization, such as
information about how a marketing campaign could be more effective in the
assignment country.

Make a plan for reintegration.

Communication should also include a conversation six months before the end
of the assignment to discuss the reintegration process. This is a time for the
employee to outline the top skills, qualifications, and insights achieved
during the assignment and express how he or she would like to incorporate
them at the home office (or in some cases on the next assignment). In
exchange, the sponsors should elaborate on how they envision the employee
leveraging the experience, being frank about what kinds of opportunities
might be in the pipeline.There may not be an ideal position for them back in
the firm that leverages their talent and fits the needs of the company. But,
according to our experts, thats precisely the reason for the constant

communication throughout and toward the end of the assignment. Anticipate

these contingencies so that both the organization and the employee have
realistic expectations and a plan moving forward.
Once next steps have been established, build in time when the employee
comes home to reintegrate. They will still likely need transition time to
relearn the old corporate culture and process their experience. This may be
as little as a few days or even a week or more. While the timeline may vary,
its critical to build in a structured transition process with a mixture of checkins and downtime so reacclimation is a seamless reentry rather than a crash
landing.

Develop ways to share knowledge from the assignees

experience.
Finally, for companies to get the most out of expat assignments, the
organization must be proactive in helping employees catalog and
disseminate what they have learned. There are a number of ways to go
about this. One organization we spoke to asks assignees to blog about their
experiences both during and after the assignment. These posts are shared
via internal social media and commented on by others throughout the
company. Others make use of metadata on employee profiles to highlight the
skills acquired during the assignment; this not only enhances returning
expats credibility but also enables anyone else in the organization to find
them when searching for their specific expertise. Companies can also host
special sessions or brown bag lunches on managing global work and
intercultural communication, including returning expats alongside outside
guest speakers and panel discussions.
However its done, the key is to find ways for people to share what theyve
experienced and learned so they can process the experience, reinforce the
importance of these global assignments within the organization, and, most
importantly, transfer the valuable knowledge theyve acquired back into the
company.