Re-Entry: Managing Cross-Cultural Transitions

Abstract

The author studied the re-entry process of two hundred corporate and governmental employees returning to Canada after working overseas for an average of two years. Re-entry into the original culture was found to be a more difficult transition than was the move to the foreign culture. Home-country managers tended to exhibit xenophobia (fear of foreign things) in assessing the potential and actual effectiveness of returnees. Based on the present research, ways for organizations to manage the re-entry transition more effectively are suggested.