Episode Description
In this episode, Ben introduces and discusses a well-known academic study on cultural distance and expatriate failure rates by Arup Varma and Chun Wang. Rather than focusing on whether cultural distance matters, the episode explores when it matters — and what organisations can actually do to reduce failure risk in global mobility assignments.

What This Episode Covers
• why cultural distance is often misunderstood in global mobility

• how poor adjustment and premature return are used as indicators of expatriate failure

• why cultural distance only becomes a major risk under certain conditions

• the role of expatriate selection and performance management in reducing failure rates

• how organisational practices can amplify or mitigate cultural challenges

Key Takeaways
• cultural distance is not destiny — it amplifies existing weaknesses rather than creating problems on its own

• performance management plays a critical role in assignment success, especially in culturally distant contexts

• the greater the distance, the more intentional and structured expatriate management needs to be

Why This Matters
This episode shifts the conversation away from blaming culture and toward examining organisational responsibility. For global mobility leaders, the findings highlight the importance of strong management practices in turning culturally challenging assignments into successful ones.

Referenced Study
Wang, C. H., & Varma, A. (2019). Cultural distance and expatriate failure rates: the moderating role of expatriate management practices. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(15), 2211–2230. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2017.1315443

Host
Hosted by Benjamin Bader, Professor of International HRM and co-founder of MasteringGM®.

Subscribe
Subscribe to Evidence, Insight, Impact — The MasteringGM® Podcast for short, focused episodes that connect evidence, insight, and real-world global mobility practice.

Episode Description
In this special bonus episode, Ben takes a deeper look at one of the most persistent and challenging topics in Global Mobility: return on investment (ROI). Moving beyond narrow financial calculations, the episode explores why ROI in Global Mobility is often misunderstood, how value is actually created, and why many ROI conversations get stuck before they become meaningful.

Positioned as an off-cycle special, this episode connects ROI thinking to the MasteringGM® WAVE framework and argues for a shift from “proving ROI” to building ROI readiness — the ability to articulate value with clarity, confidence, and strategic relevance.

What This Episode Covers
• why ROI in Global Mobility is difficult to articulate using traditional financial logic

• how cost-cutting can unintentionally reduce overall value

• the difference between cost justification and value creation

• how Global Mobility creates preventative, enabling, and long-term value

• why alignment between Global Mobility, HR, and business strategy matters for ROI

Key Insights
• ROI challenges in Global Mobility are primarily about framing, not performance

• value in Global Mobility is often distributed, delayed, and invisible when it works well

• becoming ROI-ready is more powerful than trying to “prove” ROI after the fact

Framework Reference
This episode connects ROI to the Value dimension of the MasteringGM® WAVE framework (Workforce, Adaptability, Value, Engagement). You can explore the WAVE framework at wave.mastering-gm.com.

Featured Tool: Global Mobility ROI Readiness Score
A structured self-assessment designed to help Global Mobility professionals reflect on how prepared they are to articulate and evidence their value. The assessment is available free of charge at the time of episode release and provides immediate individual results

👉 Take the assessment here:

https://score.mastering-gm.com/roi

Host
Hosted by Benjamin Bader, Professor of International HRM and co-founder of MasteringGM®.

Subscribe
Subscribe to Evidence, Insight, Impact — The MasteringGM® Podcast for short, focused episodes that connect evidence, insight, and real-world Global Mobility practice.

Episode Description
In this episode, Benjamin Bader reflects on what 2025 revealed about global mobility. Rather than a year of major disruption, 2025 exposed accumulated pressure, rising expectations, and structural tensions within many global mobility functions. The episode offers a calm, strategic perspective on why global mobility teams feel stretched — and what this means looking ahead.

What This Episode Covers
• why 2025 appeared stable on the surface but revealed deeper strain underneath

• how rising expectations are colliding with constrained resources

• growing complexity without corresponding strategic clarity

• learning and capability gaps becoming more visible across global mobility roles

• the ongoing tension between operational delivery and strategic ambition

Key Insight
2025 was not a year in which global mobility failed. It was a year that exposed the limits of existing ways of working. Understanding this distinction is critical for moving from reaction to reflection — and from activity to impact.

Why This Matters
Taking time to reflect on what 2025 revealed helps global mobility leaders avoid simply working harder and instead focus on working differently. Evidence-based reflection and intentional learning are becoming necessities, not luxuries.

Host
Hosted by Benjamin Bader, Professor of International HRM and co-founder of MasteringGM®.

Subscribe
Subscribe to Evidence, Insight, Impact — The MasteringGM® Podcast for short, focused episodes that connect evidence, insight, and real-world global mobility practice.