Repatriation Adjustment

Abstract

Based on the information shared by my interviewees, this study agrees with recent research (see, for instance, Szkudlarek, 2010) reporting that expatriate managers are often more likely to experience an even stronger culture shock upon repatriation than when moving overseas. Lee and Liu (2006) recommend that organizations help expatriates who need assistance coping with the reverse culture shock they are likely to experience. Only one of the interviewees said he had experienced no culture shock upon return to his home country, feeling ‘relief’ instead, and he explained that he had left China because he was ‘sick of it, couldn’t stand it any longer’. The data would therefore suggest a change to the W-curve of adjustment model (see Chapter 5) to allow for a deeper curve on the repatriation side to indicate a longer or more intense stage of difficulty in adaptation.

Await the clouds to disperse and you’ll see the bright-lit moon.

Chinese proverb