Welcome to Our Country: Improving Expatriate Assignment Success Through Host Country Managerial Involvement

ABSTRACT Despite high costs and failure rates, expatriate assignments are a primary tool for multinational enterprises to open new operations and execute strategies in international markets. To investigate this seemingly counterintuitive phenomenon, we utilize a case study approach to examine expatriate assignments through the lens of host country managers (HCM). Most expatriate assignment literature has incorporated perspectives from both expatriate managers and MNE leadership; our work extends existing knowledge by incorporating the voice of HCMs in the expatriate experience—from selection through repatriation. Specifically, this research proposes a holistic expatriate model that highlights HCM value‐adding activities at each stage of the expatriate journey. This research, guided by accepted theories in expatriate assignment literature, also expands existing frameworks to assess expatriate assignments and suggests managerial alternatives to improve expatriate success.