Cross- cultural Communication This page intentionally left blank

Professional
Loss of status.
Resentment by peers.
Less autonomy.
No recognition of new skills.
Keeping abreast of organization and technological change.
Job security – will there be a job on return?
Personal
Reduced lifestyle.
Role shift for spouse.
Loss of friendships.
Employment for spouse on return.
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Selection and Preparation for Foreign Assignments 121
Educational change for children.
Reduced standard of living.
Faced with these concerns, the most important factor is the realization by 
those returning from overseas that the cultural experience of living abroad 
will have changed all members of the family and thus their expectations 
and perceptions.
Coping strategies
However, those returning home can do much themselves to assist reinte-
gration. They should re- establish links with former contacts and friends. 
They also need to clarify and, perhaps, modify their own expectations and 
set themselves realistic goals. Wherever possible, they should seize oppor-
tunities to demonstrate the new skills they have acquired, for example, 
languages and knowledge of foreign cultures, by talks to local chambers 
of commerce and further education institutions. While still abroad, they 
should make every effort to brief themselves on any new changes in the 
organization in the home country. Their human resources department 
will appreciate the assistance and advice they can give on their return 
to other members of staff who may be visiting the region they have just 
left. Apart from these, there are usually a number of skills they have 
acquired as a result of their foreign experiences. These include experience 
of working in multinational teams, coping with ambiguity in changing 
situations, often under considerable stress, and increasing cross- cultural 
confidence whereby complex situations can be seen from a number of 
perspectives.
Organizations are now increasingly providing some form of repatriation 
training and assistance for both the employee and, where appropriate, the 
family, with the aim of providing a smoother transition. Training should be 
tailor- made for the individuals concerned and could include the following 
elements:
recognition of reverse culture shock and advice on coping strategies;
home country update (cost of living, health and social services, education, 
law and order, etc.);
financial considerations (investments, insurance, taxation, etc.);
employment opportunities (career development, re- training, counsel-
ling, etc.);
changes in business practices.
Repatriation should not be regarded as an isolated event but as part of a con-
tinuous process of personal and career development for the individual, the 
family and the company: ‘ No- one goes home, rather we return to our native 
country and in due course we create a new home’ (Storti, 1990).
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122 Cross-Cultural Communication
The cycle of culture shock may well repeat itself on each new assignment. 
Most importantly, successful repatriation is crucial to a career development 
plan, which should aim to retain skilled, effective international managers 
(and, if applicable, their families) who wish to participate in future overseas 
assignments. However, they will in many cases experience the full cycle of 
culture shock once again. As a result, a typical cycle of expatriation and 
return to the home country will resemble a ‘W curve’ (Oberg, 1960), with 
peaks and troughs showing the stages experienced during culture shock, 
followed by those experienced on return to the home country. This pattern 
will be repeated in subsequent expatriation moves with varying degrees of 
intensity, depending on the new locations and previous ability to cope with 
new situations. This is represented below.
Honeymoon
Honeymoon
Culture of
Origin
Recovery &
Adjustment
Home
Adjustment
Crisis
Crisis
Confrontation with
new culture
Figure 6.4 Full culture shock cycle
Summary
Increasing globalization makes the need for careful selection and prepara-
tion for overseas assignments all the more important.
The accompanying partner and the rest of the family should be involved, 
where appropriate, with the employee (the working partner) in
pre-
departure training.
In the selection process, a variety of methods should be available both 
in- house and externally.
The selection of suitable personnel for overseas assignments will need to 
take into account technical and professional skills and qualifications, cross-
cultural skills and suitability, language skills, cultural requirements of the 
new location and family requirements, including children’s education, 
accommodation, health and security.
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Selection and Preparation for Foreign Assignments 123
Pre- departure training should concentrate on cultural briefing and the 
business practices likely to be encountered in the foreign culture.
Attention should be paid both to culture shock and the problems of 
return to the home country (reverse culture shock).
Cultural briefing is important for the short- term overseas assignment and 
the business traveller.
Culture shock is encountered by most people when they enter a foreign 
culture. It is a normal reaction and there are coping strategies to reduce 
its effect.
No one is completely immune from culture shock, even after several 
international experiences.
Recognition of the signs of culture shock will in itself help in progressing 
through the cycle of adjustment.
Whenever possible, coping strategies should include all members of the 
family.
The reasons for failure to adapt can be greatly reduced by careful prepara-
tion and support.
Reverse culture shock is often experienced on return to the home country. 
Coping strategies can reduce this by advanced preparation during the 
overseas assignment and support from the company on return home.