Management practices for on-site consultants: Lessons learned from the expatriate experience.

Over the past decade, research on two specific types of nontraditional work arrangements, expatriate employees and consultants, has increased. However, despite the plethora of research exploring the key factors associated with effective expatriation, few links have been made between the similarities in job attributes and experiences of consultants and expatriates. This article reviews the similarities between consultants and expatriates, including issues related to selection, socialization, learning orientation, role definition, family adjustment, career development, and repatriation. An examination of the management practices related to each of the key dimensions of expatriate assignments is made and lessons for consultants are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)