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Expatriates’ withdrawal intentions: The influence of organizational culture and satisfaction with the assignment

Luisa Helena Pinto (School of Economics, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal)
Carlos Cabral Cardoso (School of Economics, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal)
William B. Werther Jr (Department of Management, School of Business Administration, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA)

Personnel Review

ISSN: 0048-3486

Article publication date: 6 November 2017

982

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of perceived home and destination organizational culture characteristics and general satisfaction with the assignment as antecedents of expatriates’ withdrawal intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through a web survey of an international sample of expatriates with a broad representation of industries, organizations and countries of origin and destination.

Findings

The results indicate that home and destination organizational cultures affect expatriates’ withdrawal intentions, after controlling for demographics and national cultural differences, namely: home organizational culture has a stronger influence on withdrawal intentions from the organization, while host organizational culture affects withdrawal intentions from the assignment. Further, the relationship between host organizational culture and expatriates’ intentions to withdraw from the assignment is mediated by expatriates’ satisfaction with the assignment. Evidence was also found supporting a stronger and negative influence of the goal orientation dimension of organizational culture, thus suggesting that a collective orientation toward common business goals (i.e. solidarity) may help retain expatriates.

Originality/value

This study seeks to fill a gap in the literature by exploring the influence of organizational culture on expatriates’ withdrawal intentions, and the mediating role of expatriates’ satisfaction with the assignment, on that relationship.

Keywords

Citation

Pinto, L.H., Cabral Cardoso, C. and Werther Jr, W.B. (2017), "Expatriates’ withdrawal intentions: The influence of organizational culture and satisfaction with the assignment", Personnel Review, Vol. 46 No. 8, pp. 1852-1869. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-02-2016-0033

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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