Retaining the repatriate by organisation in developing countries (in Africa): understanding the decision-making point (stay or leave) of the expatriate
| Date | 29 January 2024 |
| Pages | 366-382 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-10-2020-0466 |
| Published date | 29 January 2024 |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
| Author | Linus Kekleli Kudo,Ruth McPhail,William Vuk Despotovic |
Retaining the repatriate by
organisation in developing
countries (in Africa):
understanding the decision-
making point (stay or leave)
of the expatriate
Linus Kekleli Kudo and Ruth McPhail
Department of ERHR, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, and
William Vuk Despotovic
Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
Abstract
Purpose –Despite the high rates of repatriate attrition, organisations in developing countries continue to send
some of their employees to study in tertiary institutions in developed countries to acquire and build
competencies that are deemed strategically important for contemporary work. Although several studies have
been conducted on expatriate experience and challenges, those relating repatriation experiences are limited,
particularly those concerning organisationally assigned scholars (employees who are sponsored to study
overseas). Consequently, the present study explored the intention to stay or leave of organisationally assigned
Ghanaian scholars who pursued higher degrees in Australia.
Design/methodology/approach –To understand the decision of organisationally assigned sponsored
scholars to either stay in or leave the host-organisation upon their return, a phenomenological methodology
was adopted to explore the lived experiences of organisation assigned scholars (OAS) from Ghana, studying in
Australia. The face-to-face interview approach was used to interview 20 Ghanaians who pursued their further
studies in Australia. The interviewees consisted of six females and 14 males.
Findings –The results reveal that for expatriate’s in this study, the decision to stay or leave the organisation
upon repatriationwas made mid-way through the expatriation process in the host county. Hence, organisations
intending on retaining their OAS when they return home must focus their support and engagement efforts
during this crucial period.
Practical implications –Although they are away on further studies, OAS are still active members of the
organisation. Therefore, organisations need to maintain contact with them (OAS), constantly check progress of
their study and provide some support, as they might motivate them to want to return and work with the
organisation. Consequently, more effective strategies (those for managing them while they are awayand those
for managing them when they return) should be deployed to incentivise their expatriate to return home.
Originality/value –The study explored animportant yet understudied research questions in the repatriation
literature. By studying the decision of OASs to either return and stay in or leave an organisation back home
contributes uniquely to the existing literature, as studies focusing on that population (i.e. OAS’s) are scarce.
Keywords Expatriate, Expatriation, Repatriate, Repatriation, Host-country, Home-country, Attrition, Retain,
Study abroad, Organisation assigned scholar (OAS)
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Many developing countries throughout Africa, and arguably around the world, are
struggling with the challenge of losing large numbers of their professionally trained staff to
developed countries. For example, it is estimated that Africa has already lost one-third of its
human capital and is continuing to lose its skilled personnel at an increasing rate, with an
estimated 20,000 doctors, university lecturers, engineers and other professionals leaving the
ER
46,2
366
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0142-5455.htm
Received 13 October 2020
Revised 1 September 2021
16 August 2022
29 December 2022
29 August 2023
Accepted 5 September 2023
Employee Relations: The
International Journal
Vol. 46 No. 2, 2024
pp. 366-382
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-10-2020-0466
continent annually since 1990 (Adeyemi et al., 2018;International Organization for Migration,
2010;Koser and Laczko, 2010). Developed countries on the other hand are also complaining
about the rate of people migrating to their countries. One means by which professionals
migrate from developing countries to developed ones is through expatriation. While research
considering expatriation and repatriation is no longer in its infancy (see for instance Hofstede,
2001;McNulty, 2017;Mischel, 1965;Naumann, 1993;Selmer, 2010;Tung, 1981) much of what
has been written has tended to focus on expatriates from developed economies while
expatriates from developing economies have received comparatively limited attention
(Chiang et al., 2018). The rationale of sending expatriates from developed countries has
traditionally focussed on transferring of knowledge through managing the subsidiary,
training locals and promoting organisational culture (Alshahrani and Morley, 2015;Fan et al.,
2018). However, the use of expatriates by developing countries tends to focus more on the
means by which they acquire knowledge and skills which would redress knowledge gaps in
organisational capabilities and allow organisations to compete more favourably in a global
context. Due to a dearth of knowledge relating to the management practices of expatriates
from developing countries, organisations which rely on them are unable to manage them
effectively, often resulting in the non-return of the expatriates after their assignment and
subsequent negative implications for the organisations which employ them and the
developing economies which rely on them. The reasons why expatriates from developing
countries fail to repatriate after their assignment or leave the organisation when they
repatriate has receive limited attention because the extant literature has focussed on
expatriates from developed countries. Consequently, the present study aims to explore why
repatriates from developing countries, in this case Ghana, leave their organisations when
they return home.
This article contributes to understanding of the intention of expatriates from Ghana to
return home by addressing the question of how the expatriates’experiences in the host
country shape their decision to stay or leave the organisation on their return home.
Literature review
Repatriation is commonly defined as the returning home from an assignment abroad and has
received less research attention than expatriation (Baruch et al., 2016;Lazarova, 2015). The
process of repatriation begins administratively and psychologically while the employee is on
assignment. The expatriate’s knowledge of the process and preparation being made by the
organisation for the employee to return home may influence the expatriate’s intention to
return home. Reviewing the literature on repatriation is therefore relevant in understanding
the process and how it may influence the employee’s intention to go home. The lack of
research on the experiences of repatriates is grounded in the thinking that they are returning
to a familiar environment (Law et al., 2009); thus, they are not expected to face any adjustment
issues as in the initial expatriation process where the individual was going to a different
environment.
Indeed, not much is known about the experience of expatriates when they eventually
return home as repatriates (Reiche, 2012). However, researchers suggest that the repatriation
experience may actually be more daunting than the challenges of expatriation (Lazarova and
Caligiuri, 2002;Morgan et al., 2004;Szkudlarek, 2010), which could be the reason for the high
rate of repatriates resigning from their organisation upon completion of the overseas
assignment. For example, attrition of repatriates ranged from 12% for the first year and 13%
before the end of the second year to 44% within two years after returning home (Cox et al.,
2013;Kraimer et al., 2009), and the organisational cost of attrition is substantial considering
investment made on the employee sent abroad (e.g. salary, training alongside other direct and
indirect costs) (Cox et al., 2013). To invest so much on expatriates only for them to terminate
Retaining
repatriate in
developing
countries
367
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