Selection criteria for international assignments ppt

Running head: International Assignments 1

International Assignments 11

International Assignments

Naomia Curtis

BUS325

Prof.. Jeanette Horner-Smith

Strayer University

February 26, 2015

International Assignments

In many cases, recommendations provided for pre-departure training for expatriates going to international duties mainly focus on culture and language. It is unfortunate that many MNEs neglect language training, which is imperative and needs to be part of expatriates’ preparation for international assignments. It is important to take into consideration the information and advice that returning expatriates bring. The information and guidance are important during the design of a pre-departure training program for employees that a company wants to send for expatriate assignments (Dowling. Festing & Engle, 2013). It is important that a multi-national enterprise selects appropriate employees who are open-minded, patient, capable, flexible, motivated, and can quickly adapt to new conditions (Caligiuri, 1997).

During the design of a pre-departure training program, training managers should assess the level of interaction that the expatriates will have with the host country population. Furthermore, it is important to evaluate the challenge of the new position and its duties during the design of a pre-departure training program. According to Caligiuri (1997), the way other countries conduct business is different from Western countries’ business ethics, which is something that important that expatriates need to understand. As such, a pre-departure training should cover the following components:

· A host country’s political history should be included in the pre-departure training to provide expatriates a better insight about the host country’s political business environment

· Critical incidents, role plays, and actual expatriate cases based on expatriate working and living experiences

· The host country’s language, especially key phrases should be covered

· Pre-departure training should cover negotiation skills

· Understanding mixed messages and non-verbal cues of host country language and communication components should be included in the pre-departure training

· Pre-departure training should include family or spouses as important elements to an expatriate’s foreign assignment stay and success

Although certain literature consider the significance of cross-culture components in pre-departure training as ambiguous, the coverage of these components in a pre-departure training is crucial to a multinational enterprise, the expatriate, and the expatriate’s family in addition to the success of the assignment (Caligiuri, 1997). Cultural and business ethics are significantly diverse between one country to another. As such, a good understanding of working and living environment should be gained by expatriates to help them in adjusting to their new environment. When a company covers and provides a clear view of what the expatriates should expect in their new assignments, culture shock and the possibility of failure of expatriate assignment will be significantly reduced (Dowling, Festing & Engle, 2013).

Currently, global assignments are increasingly emerging as crucial for both an organizations’ global success and individuals’ career. As such, having an effective and systematic means of measuring expatriate performance has significantly increased in importance. Global human resource professionals are in agreement that it is important for multinational enterprises to attract, choose, and retain individuals who have a global orientation and competence (Dowling, Festing & Engle, 2013). Studies of expatriate success have identified three criteria that can be used by management to assess the performance of expatriates working abroad. These include:

· Completion of international assignment