conducted by Ericsson during the expatriate’s stay complies with the theory of
Jassawalla, et al (2004) or not.
Table 5.2
Ericsson: During the expatriate’s assignment
During the expatriate’s stay
Fits with theory
Perception of support
while on assignment
Related to issues included in the relocation
package such as financial compensation and
support to the family
Yes
Nature and frequency
of communication
Communication
and
responsibility
to
maintain the contact between the home office
and the expatriate while he or she is abroad
Yes
Source:
Authors
5.1.3 After the expatriate’s return
Quality and interaction with sponsors
The reason why the manager in the expatriate’s home office is the person that has the
most contact with the expatriate is to create or sustain a long-term relationship with the
expatriate. According to Ericsson a long-term relationship is important as it contributes
to employee development and that the manager can ensure that the employee has
sufficient knowledge and competences, especially in new product areas.
However, this
person can probably not be called a sponsor as Jassawalla, et al (2004) claim that a
48
sponsor should be personally vested and have a personal stake in the success or failure
of the expatriate. The manager in the expatriate’s home office at Ericsson does
probably not have a strong personal interest in the success of the expatriate.
However, the manager in the expatriate’s home office is frequently communicating
with the expatriate as well as, to some extent providing information. Apart from this,
the manager in the home office is together with the HR department and the expatriate
responsible for finding a suitable position for the expatriate in the home organization
and as international assignments are viewed as something positive the expatriate’s
manager in the home office is also responsible for trying to ensure that the skills gained
overseas are taken into consideration. This complies with what Jassawalla, et al (2004)
mention as a sponsor’s duties as the authors state that a mentor should be responsible
for finding a suitable position for the repatriate in the home organization and to ensure
that the expatriate’s skills and competences gained overseas are used. However, the
expatriate’s manager in the home office in Ericsson also has other duties like frequently
communicating with the expatriate and to provide information that Jassawalla, et al
(2004) believe are more related to a mentor’s duties.
Moreover, one issue that not is
totally in line with the theory of Jassawalla, et al (2004) is that the authors claim that
the sponsor should ensure that the repatriate’s skills are utilized. However, the manager
in the expatriate’s home office cannot ensure this, as the position received is dependent
on the vacant positions at the time. Nevertheless, overall the manager in the home
office has the duties of a sponsor.
