摘要
The ongoing internationalization of companies goes hand in hand with an increase of international assignments. With it, knowledge is transferred and diverse teams emerge in the subsidiaries abroad. However, expatriation management and diversity management have been separated areas so far. Thus, the readiness to use expatriation as an integral element of an overall diversity strategy has been evaluated in an exploratory empirical study. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews have been conducted with both expatriates and HR （human resources） managers in six subsidiaries and the headquarters of an international mechanical engineering company. It was found that operative aspects of the expatriate management dominate the viewpoint of those involved. However, the findings also suggest that an implicit recognition of advantages that stem from the variety of individual employees exists. Willingness to systematically strengthen the exchange and learning process was detected. Based on these results, a new approach could be conceptualized and implemented. This provides various foci for further research.
