Trailing

family
Sophia Alissa Bentele
Gianmarco Bonaita
Alessandro Borzumati
Peifeng Gao
Floriana Guardini
Federica Leotta
Around 60% of the expats are
accompanied by partners, and
50% by children
The inability of a manager's
spouse to adjust is a major
problem for US and European
multinational companies
(Tung, 1982)
Indeed, the success of the
expatriate depends also on the
well being of his family, which
in turns influences his
experience abroad
1. Family influence
Adjustment: spillover (from the work domain to the
family domain and vice-versa) and crossover (between
individuals) effects
The relationship between spillovers and crossovers is
the key point in understanding the influences from the
family: they are mutually related
For example: the failure of the expatriate's partner in
adapting to the social environment, even if it initially
is limited to her, will later affect the expatriate himself
and consequently his productivity
2. Problems, opportunities, and
resources of the expat family
The FAAR MODEL:
Need to balance between demands of the family (stressors, strains, and
daily hassles) and its capabilities (resources and coping behaviors) to deal
with these demands
This balancing is influenced by the meanings the family attributes to the
situation
Some statistics: top reasons cited by candidates to turn down assignments
are by 35% family concerns, by 17% spouses' career.
For example, problems may stem from the change in social environment,
which is a stressor; this issue can become an opportunity if the whole
family can deal with it and use it as a source of personal growth; family-
based resources can be adaptability, cohesion, and structure
Consequently, the family can be both a
resource or a source of problems
depending on the resources and
capabilities that stem from the cohesion
and internal quality of the family
The company can ease the adaptation
and adjustment process of the expatriate
and his family
3. The company role
The company looking for the perfect expatriate
has to assess not only the candidate's
background, but also his family situation, and
provide the instruments for the assessment
72% of companies support partners with
language training programs, 29% offer career
planning assistance, and 27% offer
employment search or job-finding fees, and
26% sponsor a work-permit
Expatriate and family Company
Pre-
departure
Assess managerial
capabilities, cross-
cultural experience,
but also family's
adaptability
Support for social
(school, health care)
and logistic aspects
Post-
departure
Family's open attitude
towards the new
culture, and support
for the expatriate for
his work success
Assistance and
socialization
(matching) with
experienced expats
and their family
Quick reference guide
Bibliography
Z. Aycan (1997) "Expatriate adjustment as a
multifaceted phenomenon: individual and
organizational level predictors", The international
journal of human resource management, Vol. 8 No. 4'
pp. 434-456
C. Brewster, A. Haslberger (2008) "The expatriate
family: an international perspective", Journal of
managerial psychology, Vol. 23 No. 3, pp. 324-346
Brookfield Global Relocation Services (2013) "Global
Relocation Trends: 2013 Survey Report", Brookfield