Globalization and the inward flow of immigrants: Issues associated with the inpatriation of global managers

Abstract

Assembling a diverse global workforce is becoming a critical dimension in gaining successful global performance. In the past, staffing has focused on control of the multinational organization as the primary goal when staffing overseas positions. As organizations globalize their operations, the goal of staffing is shifting from control to diversity, which in turn will provide the global organization with a means to gain/maintain competitive advantage. This diversity will be accomplished by integrating foreigners into the home country organization (i.e., inpatriation) through a permanent assignment. This article examines the inward flow of inpatriate managers by using social learning theory as a lens to better understand the means to integrate foreign managers into the domestic organization culture. The stages that inpatriate managers will go through (i.e., survival, integration, acculturation, and pluralistic integration) are explored to ascertain how to effectively utilize these global managers.