Managerial personnel assigned responsibilities in international situations who are not prepared to serve effectively in such situations create a multiplicity of problems for the corporation. The productivity and even the viability of a corporation's international operation are placed at risk. Additionally, the disillusioned manager may sever her or his connection with the corporation, thereby creating additional problems and costs for the firm (Roberts, Kossek, & Ozeki, 1998).
One of the most debilitating of organizational phenomena is a high rate of turnover among managerial personnel. Within this context, turnover among expatriate managers has been found to be substantially higher than the rate of turnover for domestic managers. For the organization, expatriate managerial turnover can create a nightmare situation because of the difficulties involved in obtaining, training, and installing replacements. For the individual managers involved in such situations, the outcomes can be career crippling (Tung, 1999).
Corporations conducting foreign operations require an effective means of predicting the success potential of personnel assigned international managerial responsibilities. A relatively large body of literature has been developed that indicates, at a general level, that the success potential of individuals assigned expatriate managerial responsibilities is a function of the level of job satisfaction. Career management for managerial personnel assigned to international positions may be conducted by an organization with a focus on building job satisfaction among expatriate managers (Banai & Reisel, 1993).
Issues and Factors Involved in A Successful Career 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 charact...