Retention Strategies in France and Sweden.

Knowing how to retain employees, especially those who are well educated, experienced and contribute to company's competitive advantage, is important. However, with an increasing number of companies operating with subsidiaries outside the home country, retention also needs to be viewed from a cultural perspective. In this theoretical article, focus is on the interrelatedness between retention strategies and national culture in two countries with different cultures: France and Sweden. The GLOBE study framework is used, and national culture is measured in terms of future orientation, assertiveness, institutional collectivism, power distance, humane orientation and uncertainty avoidance. Retention is measured as remuneration, career opportunities, training and development of skills, leadership style, physical working conditions and work-life balance. As a result of the study, seven hypotheses, aiming to test the interrelatedness between the areas of retention and national culture in France and Sweden, are proposed.