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There has been a growing consensus about the importance of host country nationals (HCNs) to the effectiveness of expatriates. This study adds to the knowledge base in the literature by introducing HCNs' domestic cross-cultural work experiences (DCCWEs; i.e., experiences acquired in the home country, without leaving the country) as a construct worthy of attention and examining their relationships with HCN socializing behaviors toward expatriates. Based on two-wave survey data from 226 HCN participants who were working with at least one expatriate in his or her organization in Taiwan, this study finds that HCNs' work assistance to expatriates increases their social support to expatriates. HCNs' DCCWEs increase motivational cultural intelligence and work assistance to expatriates. Motivational cultural intelligence mediated the relationships between HCNs' DCCWEs and both work assistance and social support to expatriates. More specifically, an additional analysis found that HCNs' motivational cultural intelligence and work assistance to expatriates sequentially mediated the relationship between DCCWEs and social support to expatriates.

PurposeThis paper aims to integrate the perspectives of expatriation and repatriation not as two unrelated stages but rather as one integrated process.Design/methodology/approachA sample comprising 94 human resource (HR) representatives from large Taiwanese multinational corporations (MNCs) provided objective data on the organizational expatriate/repatriate practices.FindingsThe use of developmental assignments was positively related to organizational repatriate turnover, but such a positive relationship was significant only when MNCs used low levels of repatriation support practices. Organizational repatriate turnover was negatively related to employee willingness for expatriation and the use of developmental assignments increased employee willingness for expatriation. Organizational repatriate turnover was a competitive mediator between the use of developmental assignments and employee willingness for expatriation. Moreover, organizational repatriate turnover mediated the relationship when MNCs used low levels of repatriation support practices, but not when MNCs used high levels of repatriation support practices.Practical implicationsMNCs should ensure the use of development assignments is matched with high levels of repatriation support practices and treat expatriation and repatriation management as one integrated process.Originality/valueAs the world economy becomes more integrated, MNCs are increasingly challenged in their efforts to send employees abroad on expatriate assignments that are developmental by design, to reduce organizational repatriate turnover and to increase employee willingness for expatriation. However, there is a lack of understanding about how they are all linked.