Multiple Commitments Upon Repatriation: The Japanese Experience

Building on the domestic multiple commitment literature, recent international research found that upon repatriation, U.S. expatriates exhibited dual commitments to the parent corporation and local work unit. These results, however, may have been a function of specific cultural values of American managers and may not be generalizable to other samples. Thus, this study examines theoretically and empirically the degree to which Japanese expatriates returning home from international assignments exhibit single or dual commitments; it also analyzes the antecedents of such commitments upon repatriation. Initially, factor analysis indicated that in contrast to U.S. repatriates, Japanese repatriates in this study exhibited a single, global commitment to the organization. Next, multiple regression analysis found that a firm’s valuing international experience was the primary correlate of organizational commitment for Japanese repatriates. Finally, this study’s results raise important questions about the generalizabi...

[1]  J. Black,et al.  Toward a Theoretical Framework of Repatriation Adjustment , 1992 .

[2]  H. Becker.  Notes on the Concept of Commitment , 1960, American Journal of Sociology.

[3]  Thomas P. Rohlen.  For harmony and strength: Japanese white-collar organization in anthropological perspective , 1974 .

[4]  Arnon E. Reichers,et al.  Conflict and organizational commitments. , 1986 .

[5]  D. Kendall.  Repatriation: An ending and a beginning , 1981 .

[6]  W. Reisel,et al.  Expatriate Managers' Loyalty to the MNC: Myth or Reality? An Exploratory Study , 1993 .

[7]  Peter J. Dowling,et al.  International Dimensions of Human Resource Management , 1990 .

[8]  S. Lirtzman,et al.  Role Conflict and Ambiguity in Complex Organizations. , 1970 .

[9]  J. Campbell,et al.  Conflict in Japan , 1984 .

[10]  Hal B. Gregersen,et al.  Commitments to a parent company and a local work unit during repatriation. , 1992 .

[11]  Janet P. Near,et al.  Organizational Commitment Among Japanese and U.S. Workers , 1989 .

[12]  Joseph A. Alutto,et al.  Personal and Role-Related Factors in the Development of Organizational Commitment. , 1972 .

[13]  Hal B. Gregersen,et al.  Antecedents to Commitment to A Parent Company and A Foreign Operation , 1992 .

[14]  G. Hofstede.  Motivation, leadership, and organization: Do American theories apply abroad? , 1980 .

[15]  Daniel C. Feldman,et al.  Repatriate moves as career transitions , 1991 .

[16]  J. Stewart Black,et al.  The Influence of the Spouse on American Expatriate Adjustment and Intent to Stay in Pacific Rim Overseas Assignments , 1989 .

[17]  Thomas W. Lee,et al.  Voluntarily Leaving an Organization: An Empirical Investigation of Steers and Mowday's Model of Turnover , 1987 .

[18]  Robert M. Marsh,et al.  Organizational Commitment and Turnover: A Prediction Study. , 1977 .

[19]  H. Gregersen.  Multiple commitments at work and extrarole behavior during three stages of organizational tenure , 1993 .

[20]  Chris Brewster,et al.  The Management of Expatriates , 1991 .

[21]  G. Hofstede,et al.  Culture′s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values , 1980 .

[22]  N. Adler,et al.  The Parochial Dinosaur: Organizational Science in a Global Context , 1991 .

[23]  J. Mathieu,et al.  A review and meta-analysis of the antecedents, correlates, and consequences of organizational commitment , 1990 .

[24]  Jennifer A. Chatman,et al.  Organizational commitment and psychological attachment: The effects of compliance, identification, and internalization on prosocial behavior. , 1986 .

[25]  Hal B. Gregersen,et al.  Antecedents to Cross-Cultural Adjustment for Expatriates in Pacific Rim Assignments , 1991 .

[26]  J. M. Stevens,et al.  Assessing personal, role, and organizational predictors of managerial commitment. , 1978, Academy of Management journal. Academy of Management.

[27]  Daniel C. Feldman,et al.  Expatriation, Repatriation, and Domestic Geographical Relocation: An Empirical Investigation of Adjustment to new Job Assignments , 1993 .

[28]  J. Stewart Black,et al.  Toward a Comprehensive Model of International Adjustment: An Integration of Multiple Theoretical Perspectives , 1991 .

[29]  Arnon E. Reichers,et al.  A review and reconceptualization of organizational commitment. , 1985, Academy of management review. Academy of Management.

[30]  V. Pucik,et al.  Japanese management practices and productivity , 1981 .

[31]  Hal B. Gregersen,et al.  A Multifaceted Approach to Expatriate Retention in International Assignments , 1990 .

[32]  Thomas E. Becker.  Foci and Bases of Commitment: Are They Distinctions Worth Making? , 1992 .

[33]  Lyman W. Porter,et al.  Employee-Organization Linakges: The Psychology of Commitment, Absenteeism and Turnover , 1985 .

[34]  N. Adler.  Re-Entry: Managing Cross-Cultural Transitions , 1981 .

[35]  A Model for Understanding Managerial Jobs and Behavior , 1982 .

[36]  J. Stewart Black,et al.  Cross-Cultural Training Effectiveness: A Review and a Theoretical Framework for Future Research , 1990 .

[37]  Michael G. Harvey.  Repatriation of Corporate Executives: An Empirical Study , 1989 .

[38]  Mark E. Mendenhall,et al.  The Dimensions of Expatriate Acculturation: A Review , 1985 .

[39]  Paula C. Morrow,et al.  The theory and measurement of work commitment , 1993 .

[40]  Arne L. Kalleberg,et al.  Work Organization and Workforce Commitment: A Study of Plants and Employees in the U.S. and Japan , 1985 .

[41]  R. Eisenberger,et al.  Perceived Organizational Support and Employee Diligence, Commitment, and Innovation , 1990 .

[42]  A. Cohen.  Work commitment in relation to withdrawal intentions and union effectiveness , 1993 .

[43]  J. Black,et al.  The Other Half of the Picture: Antecedents of Spouse Cross-Cultural Adjustment , 1991 .

[44]  N. Nicholson.  A Theory of Work Role Transitions. , 1984 .

[45]  Rosalie L. Tung.  Selection and Training Procedures of U.S., European, and Japanese Multinationals , 1982 .

[46]  Barry M. Staw,et al.  New Directions in Organizational Behavior , 1976 .

[47]  Anant R. Negandhi,et al.  The Management Practices of Japanese Subsidiaries Overseas , 1985 .

[48]  Christopher S. Mabey,et al.  HRM Practices and Employee Commitment: Possibilities, Pitfalls and Paradoxes , 1990 .

[49]  P. Earley,et al.  Culture, self-identity, and work , 1993 .

[50]  J. Black,et al.  When Yankee Comes Home: Factors Related to Expatriate and Spouse Repatriation Adjustment , 1991 .

[51]  Mark E. Mendenhall,et al.  Succession planning for the 21st century: How well are we grooming our future business leaders? , 1991 .

[52]  J. Stewart Black,et al.  Work Role Transitions: A Study of American Expatriate Managers in Japan , 1988 .

[53]  Bruce Buchanan.  BUILDING ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT: THE SOCIALIZATION OF MANAGERS IN WORK ORGANIZATIONS , 1974 .

[54]  Lynda A. King,et al.  Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity: A Critical Assessment of Construct Validity , 1990 .

[55]  N. Adler.  International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior , 1986 .

[56]  Ann C. Crouter,et al.  Spillover from Family to Work: The Neglected Side of the Work-Family Interface , 1984 .

[57]  H. Triandis,et al.  Individualism and Collectivism: Cross-cultural Perspectives on Self-ingroup Relationships We Wish to Thank Our Research Collaborators for Stimulating Ideas, Data, and Moral Support in Carrying out a Complex Set of Studies. They , 2022 .

[58]  CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR A SPECIAL ISSUE OF PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY: INNOVATIONS IN RESEARCH METHODS FOR FIELD SETTINGS , 1992 .

[59]  G. Stalk,et al.  Kaisha: The Japanese Corporation. , 1986 .

[60]  Rosalie L. Tung.  The new expatriates : managing human resources abroad , 1987 .