The organizational value of international assignments – the relational underpinning

Abstract

The organizational value of international assignments (IAs), is unclear and rarely measured by organizations. We argue that taking a relational perspective may enable a greater understanding of the value of IAs to organizations. A relational perspective involves focusing upon the relationship between the home and host organizations participating in an IA. Our literature review combines separate strands of research from the fields of Human Resource Management, International Business and Global Mobility to investigate whether such a relational underpinning exists. Based on this we develop a relational framework enabling the clarification of extant knowledge and illuminating the contradictions, uncertainties and areas for further research. As a result, we offer exploratory propositions and a future research agenda to improve our knowledge and understanding of this fundamental topic. Through reframing extant knowledge of IA organizational value we enable HR departments to refine their global mobility strategies and guide their choices amongst assignment options.