Repatriation of expatriate employees, knowledge transfer, and organizational learning: What do we know?

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a review of the topic of repatriation and the potential benefits of the use of repatriated employees to enhance global knowledge and organizational learning in multinational corporations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides an integrative literature review of articles published on repatriation, knowledge transfer, and organization learning 1999‐2009.

Findings

The literature review revealed that repatriation is a growing field of study in international human resources, and must be addressed as a multidimensional phenomenon in order to capture a clear picture of the challenges and potential benefits resulting from repatriation.

Originality/value

This paper suggests practical measures to address repatriation and identify gaps for future research.

Citation

Nery‐Kjerfve, T. and McLean, G.N. (2012), "Repatriation of expatriate employees, knowledge transfer, and organizational learning: What do we know?", European Journal of Training and Development, Vol. 36 No. 6, pp. 614-629. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090591211245512