Series on Population Studies | 19.02.2021Volume 50 “Managing Expatriates” Granted Open Access

Examining success factors for expatriates

The edited volume, Managing Expatriates: Success Factors in Private and Public Domains, edited by Brenton M. Wiernik, Heiko Rüger (BiB), and Deniz S. Ones, provides a contribution to better understanding success factors for expatriate assignments.

In 18 peer-reviewed articles, international scholars present findings in four key thematic areas: ‘Individual Psychological Differences’, ‘Age and Professional Experience’, ‘Support and Preparation for Expatriation’, and ‘Gender and Family’.

Mobility competencies in the Foreign Service

The analyses are based on four major research projects on expatriates from the public and private sectors with a total of more than 7,000 respondents in over 90 countries and take into account different cultural contexts – North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Among these research projects is a joint study by the BiB and the German Foreign Office on mobility competencies in the Foreign Service with nearly 2,600 diplomats surveyed. Among other things, the study examines which individual prerequisites, as well as which preparatory and support measures, increase the chances of success of a foreign assignment.

High stress levels due to international rotation

The extent to which every employee is suitable for a multi-year foreign assignment is not so easy to answer, as the co-editor of the volume, BiB scientist PD Dr. Heiko Rüger, emphasizes.

“However, our studies using the example of members of the Foreign Service with a high level of international rotation in their jobs have shown that there are individual characteristics that are more likely to contribute to success and a lower perception of stress. Thus, personal resources may well contribute to a successful international assignment. One suggestion from the findings for practice is therefore to promote these resources through suitable training measures.”

Aim: Improving the working and living conditions of expatriates

Overall, therefore, the research findings not only broaden the theoretical understanding of success factors in expatriate assignments, but also offer valuable recommendations for practical implementation.

For example, the findings can support organizations and companies in the selection and training of international employees. Thus, the study results can contribute to improving the working and living conditions of expatriates.

Wiernik, Brenton M.; Rüger, Heiko; Ones, Deniz S. (eds.) (2018): Managing Expatriates. Success Factors in Private and Public Domains. Series on Population Studies 50. Opladen, Berlin, Toronto: Barbara Budrich