Table 3 Main findings of qualitative... | Emerald Publishing

Table 3

Main findings of qualitative results regarding professional reintegration

	Similarities	Differences
		MIL	NGO
Influence of the deployment	Impact of communication on morale, motivation, well-being and reintegration Nature of the deployment: level of cultural adjustment, intensity, duration and re-deployment Familiarity and shorter missions help reintegration	Communication: confidentiality of mission towards family Nature: Lower level of cultural adjustment Intensity: Unlearn security protocols	Communication: More freedom to openly discuss Nature: Higher level of cultural adjustment thus presumed higher reverse culture shock
Organizational justice	Adjust to post-deployment routine (boredom, …) Low level of all forms of organizational justice Distributive: Uneven support, Contributions are undervalued, No meaningful recognition Procedural: inconsistent policies, bureaucracy, stigma, outdated information Informational: Poor unclear communication Interpersonal: Lack of active interest	Distributive: impersonal recognition but career advantage for future promotions Informational: unexpected reassignments, unclear guidance, personal shortages	Distributive: question of transferability and acknowledgment of new skills. Problems with Western medical approach, Contract-based uncertainty, unclear future roles, inconsistent follow-up for subsequent missions
Colleagues	Significant source of support during reintegration Shared background fosters trust and support Anticipate return and allocate time Interest and willingness to listen	Personal shortages: secondary responsibilities and altered professional circumstances Competitive atmosphere with home unit	Miss connection with colleagues in regular medical setting, experiences were overlooked Colleagues need to provide time to reacquaint with Western medical procedures
Supervisors	Mutual trust is the base Role 1: Guardian of well-being Role 2: Express interest in the experiences and acquired skills		Overlook the skills acquired during deployment and fail to incorporate them into the home country’s medical setting
Deployment unit	Significant source of social support during deployment and reintegration Composition of unit affects available support	Challenge of a familiar deployment unit: improved or deteriorated relationships + Conflicts can carry over to day-to-day life	Challenge of unfamiliar deployment unit: establishing trust, concerns about leaving international colleagues behind, staying connected with international colleagues
Organizational HR practices	Currently: Reliance on individual initiative, No consideration of unique identities, Inconsistencies in support services, Perceived stigma, Immediate support is offered but no continuation Need for proactive engagement and for the change of crisis service culture	Larger deployed units tend to receive more proactive support	Mandatory psychological counselling after first mission but not after subsequent missions When you leave the organization, the support offer stops

	Similarities	Differences
		MIL	NGO
Influence of the deployment	Impact of communication on morale, motivation, well-being and reintegrationNature of the deployment: level of cultural adjustment, intensity, duration and re-deploymentFamiliarity and shorter missions help reintegration	Communication: confidentiality of mission towards familyNature: Lower level of cultural adjustment Intensity: Unlearn security protocols	Communication: More freedom to openly discuss Nature: Higher level of cultural adjustment thus presumed higher reverse culture shock
Organizational justice	Adjust to post-deployment routine (boredom, …) Low level of all forms of organizational justice Distributive: Uneven support, Contributions are undervalued, No meaningful recognition Procedural: inconsistent policies, bureaucracy, stigma, outdated informationInformational: Poor unclear communication Interpersonal: Lack of active interest	Distributive: impersonal recognition but career advantage for future promotionsInformational: unexpected reassignments, unclear guidance, personal shortages	Distributive: question of transferability and acknowledgment of new skills. Problems with Western medical approach, Contract-based uncertainty, unclear future roles, inconsistent follow-up for subsequent missions
Colleagues	Significant source of support during reintegration Shared background fosters trust and support Anticipate return and allocate timeInterest and willingness to listen	Personal shortages: secondary responsibilities and altered professional circumstancesCompetitive atmosphere with home unit	Miss connection with colleagues in regular medical setting, experiences were overlookedColleagues need to provide time to reacquaint with Western medical procedures
Supervisors	Mutual trust is the base Role 1: Guardian of well-beingRole 2: Express interest in the experiences and acquired skills		Overlook the skills acquired during deployment and fail to incorporate them into the home country’s medical setting
Deployment unit	Significant source of social support during deployment and reintegrationComposition of unit affects available support	Challenge of a familiar deployment unit: improved or deteriorated relationships + Conflicts can carry over to day-to-day life	Challenge of unfamiliar deployment unit: establishing trust, concerns about leaving international colleagues behind, staying connected with international colleagues
Organizational HR practices	Currently: Reliance on individual initiative, No consideration of unique identities, Inconsistencies in support services, Perceived stigma, Immediate support is offered but no continuationNeed for proactive engagement and for the change of crisis service culture	Larger deployed units tend to receive more proactive support	Mandatory psychological counselling after first mission but not after subsequent missionsWhen you leave the organization, the support offer stops

Source(s): Authors’ own work