Management Program for Managerial Personnel Assigned to International Positions within the Organization
The factors that contribute to the level of job satisfaction or dissatisfaction among expatriate managers (both task characteristics and organizational characteristics) are identified and generally agreed upon in the literature (Naumann, 1993b). Disagreement exists, however, with respect to which factors are antecedent to others, and with respect to the relative significance of the several factors in the development of job satisfaction or dissatisfaction as a part of a career management program for expatriate managers (Naumann, 1993a).
Pre-Departure Training for Personnel Assigned to International Managerial Positions in Organizations
One of the factors frequently cited as a positive influence on the job satisfaction/dissatisfaction perceptions of expatriate managers is a pre-departure training program that prepares an individual and her or his family for both expatriate managerial responsibilities and life in a foreign social structure. Within this context, the inference is that comprehensive pre-departure training is associated with higher levels of job satisfaction among expatriate managers, and that, in turn, higher levels of job satisfaction among these individuals are associated with lower levels of turnover among such personnel (Stening & Hammer, 1992).
The cause of the reported high turnover among expatriate managers, job satisfaction, is a significant economic issue for companies. Job satisfaction, or the absence thereof, has been identified as a significant causal factor of high turnover rates among managers generally. Most previous research into the underlying causes of job satisfaction among expatriate managers has tended to emphasize selection, training, and family issues as predictor variables (Naumann, 1993b). In a recent study of expatriate managers in Asia, Brady and Brady (1994) expanded the study t...