The Expat Cycle: Systematically Managing International Employee Assignments From Preparation To Return

In many companies, decisions regarding international employee assignments are initially made from a business perspective. A function needs to be established abroad, expertise is required on-site, or a manager is taking on a new role. As a result, the organizational decision is often finalized before the technical details have been fully clarified. However, this is precisely where many of the future difficulties arise.

Practical experience shows that problems during an international assignment are rarely due to individual professional errors. More often, the cause lies in framework conditions that were not fully defined at the beginning. If key parameters are not established early on, adjustments, additional clarifications, and operational uncertainties arise during the course of the assignment, which can tie up additional resources for months.