Abstract:
Despite a large and growing body of literature that has investigated
the return of corporate repatriates, the repatriation of academics has not been
sufficiently discussed in the literature. The literature on repatriation of
corporate employees has identified several antecedent conditions that facilitate
or hamper the process of repatriation adjustment and its implications for
corporate organisations and repatriates. But, it is not clear whether the
antecedents and consequences of repatriation adjustment are the same for both
corporate and academic repatriates. This study applies the extant literature on
repatriation and three socialisation theories: organisational socialisation theory
(OST), socialisation resources theory (SRT), and uncertainty reduction theory
(URT) to identify and examine the role of organisation, individual and group in
the process of adjustment and the influence of adjustment on repatriates’ work
engagement and retention. We particularly identified and discussed the
repatriation adjustment of academic repatriates, consequences of unsuccessful
adjustment and how universities and repatriates can effectively manage the
repatriation transition.
