Workforce Development - A Good Investment?

Want to be thrown into the "deep water" unexpectedly?

Nobody likes surprises, and the people you are grooming for future top opportunities are no different.  That's why it's extremely important to make sure that you have a "pre-departure cross-cultural training" program established when you are thinking about sending people to work overseas.

A pre-departure training program helps to ensure fewer difficulties when abroad. The program should cover such topics as: customs and norms of the country; working visas; risks and responsibilities of travel; health issues; emergency procedures; day-to-day living; strategies for adapting to an international environment; and ongoing communication with the program.

As part of the training, it is also important to provide participants with the tools necessary to recognize and to effectively deal with difficulties or traumatic events.

During the course of the training, the expat should be encouraged to take responsibility for their health and well being abroad.

Such a program should be carefully thought out and run for at least several days, and ensure that the expat and their trailing spouse does not get the impression that they're being "thrown into the deep water" and expected to learn how to swim by themselves.

What should such a program entail?

Obviously, there are many variations, but I'd suggest as a minimum:

• Visas, Passports, Travel Arrangements, Vaccinations, Insurance, Medical Exam, Basic Items to Bring, etc.
• Communication/Reporting expectations
• Accommodation provisions of the assignment
• Policies and Procedures (contracts, emergency form, liability waiver, etc)
• Intercultural communications to include
  • The Concept of Culture
  • Understanding Culture Shock
  • The Ways in which Values and Attitudes Affect Behavior
  • Communicating Across Cultures
  • Problem Solving scenarios
• An overview of the "Host Country"
  • Social, Political and Economic context
  • Cultural Context: Values and Attitudes
  • Day to Day Realities they'll likely encounter
• Managing Your Health Overseas is important too. 
  • Logistics and medical preparations
  • Maintaining their health overseas
  • Coping with stress and mental health while abroad
• Safety and Security Issues are a MUST
  • Tips on keeping safe
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Emergency Procedures

Ideally, this orientation should be done by company managers who have been overseas and have been reassimilated into the company.  It will help the anxious manager/spouse to get the facts and experiences from someone who's "been there"

And while we're on the subject, don't underestimate the impact of the spouse in the "assignment satisfaction process"  (we'll get into this more deeply in another post in this space)

To deal proactively with spouse concerns, this training should also deal with helping him/her identify career orientation and aspirations, assess career “sabbatical” options and alternatives, review realistic relocation options and support needs, and establish informal communication links.

Putting these "up front" pieces in place will help to ensure that the persons international work assignment is a success.

Helping the parties understanding the risk reality in international assignments

According to a report done by Harvey & Weise in 1998, there is plenty of work left to be done before American companies can say that they're "global players."  (These folks know much about the subject, as well as their breakthrough research about ethical behavior by business executives.)

For one, their research points out that with globalization comes increases in international assignments. Yet the issues of mentoring in a global context have not received much management attention.  With all of the concern being given to the shrinking skilled workforce, perhaps it's time to better understand what's going on.

Researchers estimate that between 16 and 40 percent of American international workers fail to complete their assignments – a number that will escalate in the near future due to the increase in females and dual-career couples in international work.

Of those Americans who do complete their international assignments, 30 to 50 percent are considered ineffective or marginally effective by their companies.

Unsuccessful international workers and the resulting reduced effectiveness of the overseas assignments have considerable direct costs to companies (training, relocation, and housing expenses) as well as indirect costs (declining service levels and
lost foreign customers). 

The cost associated with a failed international assignment is estimated between US$100,000 and US$300,000, with a total cost per year for U.S.-based organizations of approximately US$2 billion.

Is that a big enough number to get your attention?

The role that "Career Blockage" plays in International Assignments

Increasingly, firms find that it is necessary and prudent to expose their promising talent to international assignments.  Sometimes it works out fine, other times it doesn't.

One of the reasons cited by expats that leave posts (or firms) is "career blockage", or better known as the feeling that working abroad has gotten their career sidetracked, while people back home are climbing the corporate ladder.

I used to travel abroad extensively, and would frequently run into an expat that after a few drinks would admit “the home office has forgotten about me”

It doesn't seem to matter whether you are doing your job or not, it's just a human nature response to conditions.  It appears to the expat that there is a lack of collegiality and communication when working abroad, especially when surrounded by cultural natives who are in their natural setting, and receiving support and personal communications routinely.

The role of "HQ" managing this common concern is significant. 

HR needs to ensure that expatriates know that an international assignment helps in terms of advancement within the firm.  This also needs to be periodically reinforced by upper management.  Sometimes this is hard to do, especially when there is a lot or organizational "churn" at the upper management levels with people moving to different jobs, or leaving the firm altogether.  Remember that the initial expectations that may have been set, if not committed to a written agreement, may not survive if there is (as if often the case), changes in upper management.

Likewise, planning needs to take into consideration, the very real concerns that expats have about their return to their "home base."  I have declined some overseas posts because the company was unwilling or unable to describe what would happen upon my return to the states.

Will the firm respect (and value) the unique new skills that I have acquired while overseas?  Will my return represent a "loss of status" (either real or perceived)?  Will there be a plan for re-integrating me into the stateside business?  Reverse "Culture Shock" can also be a factor, (and an adjustment period is a wise idea for the expat, as well as their family)  If firms are not prepared to do these things, it can really impact on the willingness of personnel to go overseas on assignment.

It is food for thought, hmmmm?

Why Do International Assignments Often End in Failure?

When a expatriate fails to perform to expectations abroad, there are numerous possible causes.  Some can be affected by training, others cannot.

• Career blockage – the feeling that working abroad has gotten their career sidetracked, while people back home are climbing the corporate ladder
• Culture shock – the inability to adjust to a different cultural environment
• Lack of pre-departure cross-cultural training – little if any is offered to expatriates before going to a different country.
• Overemphasis on technical qualifications – the expatriate may lack cultural adaptability, even though they have the technical skills
• Getting rid of a troublesome employee – provides the ability to solve interpersonal conflict, but often at a huge expense to the company
• Family problems – inability or unwillingness of the expatriate’s family to adapt to life in another country

There are a number of nuances that complicate international assignments, and we'll delve into some of these.  They represent new requirements for hiring and managing your staff, especially if you;re accustomed to the "domestic" U.S. management model.

Watch this space, we'll be discussing this in more detail in the weeks ahead.

Are you seeking an international assignment? Here's what you need...

As business continues to take on an increasingly global character, many seek the opportunity for being selected for a job assignment in an overseas location.  There are of course, other considerations, which we will discuss in a later post, but this discussion is concerning how to prepare for CONSIDERATION for an overseas assignment.

There are many criteria are commonly used in selecting professionals and managers for overseas assignments including:

• Adaptability
• Independence
• Self-reliance
• Physical & emotional health
• Age
• Experience
• Education
• Knowledge of local language
• Motivation
• Support of spouse & children
• Leadership

Lets' briefly look at the dimension of the first of these : Adaptability

When I was looking at managers to fill an overseas post I would typically examine a number of characteristics to determine whether an individual was sufficiently adaptable.  I'd look at

•   The individual's work experiences with cultures other than one’s own
• Any previous overseas travel
• Knowledge of foreign languages
• Recent immigration background or heritage
• Ability to integrate with different people, cultures, and types of business organizations
• Ability to sense and accurately evaluate developments in the host country
• Ability to solve problems within different frameworks and perspectives
• Sensitivity to differences of culture, politics, religion, and ethics
• Flexibility in managing operations on a continuous basis despite lack of assistance and gaps in information

To prepare for career-enhancing opportunities abroad, one needs to embark on a personal development program that goes beyond enhancing just your technical skills.  Those who seek these new opportunities will need to have a much broader perspective than ever before - and those mastering these new essential "business skills" will reap the many benefits.