International HRM and Trainingg&Development

April 8, 2023 1

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Training & Development

April 8, 2023 2


Human Resources are the most valuable resource in any organization

Human Resources cannot exist in a static state. The pool of knowledge, skills and abilities which individuals possess and have accumulated over time, and which is a crucial input for the organization, must be nurtured and promoted by organizations

Training and Development is the tool for improving the quality of an organization’s human resources

April 8, 2023 3


Training aims to improve current work skills and behaviour (current focus)

Development aims to increase an employee’s abilities in relation to some future position or job (future focus)

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International Training & Development

Recruitment&

Selection

Recruitment&

Selection

TRAININGTRAINING DEVELOP-MENT

DEVELOP-MENT

InternationalTeam

InternationalTeam

PredepartureTraining


InternationalAssignmentsInternationalAssignmentsExternal

Hiring

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Expatriate Training Training is considered as an investment in boosting an expatriate’s

performance

Expatriate training prior to dispatch to the foreign assignment location includes creating cultural awareness, especially in relation to assignments meant for “culturally tough” locations (learning to cope with unexpected events)

Research studies undertaken over the past approx. 20 years indicate that many organizations neglect to provide expatriates with adequate predeparture training, whereby differences exist between US, European and Japanese organizations

More organizations have started considering the requirements of the spouse and family in their predeparture training programs

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Components of Predeparture Training Programs: Cultural Awareness

The goal of cultural awareness programs is to enhance the expatriate’s understanding of the host country so that he or she can adjust and behave accordingly, and avoid getting into difficult situations

Cultural awareness programs do not have a standard, universally applicable format, rather, they depend on factors such as the country of assignment, nature of the expatriate’s job, available time to undertake training

Typical training elements include things like area studies, cultural considerations, language skills, sensitivity training and field experiences

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Tung has proposed the following training framework for expatriates:

If the expected interaction between the expatriate and members of the host

culture is low, and if the degree of cultural dissimilarity between the

expatriate’s culture and the host culture is also low, then cultural issues in

training can take on secondary importance in relation to task or job-related

issues. The level of training rigour can be low in this case

If the expected interaction between the expatriate and members of the host

culture is high, and if the degree of cultural dissimilarity between the

expatriate’s culture and the host culture is also high, then cultural issues

should be correspondingly high on the expatriate’s training agenda. The

level of training rigour can be moderate to high in this case

April 8, 2023 8


Mendenhall & Oddou have proposed a modified version of Tung’s

training framework for expatriates

According to Mendenhall & Oddou, there are three dimensions:

1) Training Methods

2) Levels of Training Rigour (low, medium, high

3) Duration of the Training (relative to degree of interaction and

culture novelty)

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If the expected interaction between the expatriate and members of

the host culture is low, and if the degree of cultural dissimilarity

between the expatriate’s culture and the host culture is also low,

then the level of training rigour can be low and training could last for

less than a week (cultural briefings, lectures, movies, books)

If the expatriate is going abroad for a longer period (2 – 12 monthes)

and is expected to have some interaction with members of the host

culture, then the level of training rigour can be higher and training

could last longer (1 – 4 weeks) (cultural briefings, lectures, movies,

books, role plays)

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If the expected interaction between the expatriate and members of

the host culture is high, and if the degree of cultural dissimilarity

between the expatriate’s culture and the host culture is also high,

then the level of training rigour can be high and lasting up to 2

months (see methods above and also sensitivity training, field

experiences, inter-cultural experiential workshops)

April 8, 2023 11

Components of Predeparture Training Programs: Preliminary Visits

Expatriates are sent to visit their host country before being sent there on an assignment

The purpose of a preliminary visit is help expatriates to assess their suitability for, and their interest in the assignment, introduce them to the business context, and to make better predeparture preparations

Research indicates that many organizations make use of the tool of preliminary visits for expatriates, or would consider its use

Generally, preliminary visits are not offered to expatriates if the expatriates are already familiar with the country, or if the country is considered culturally close

April 8, 2023 12

Components of Predeparture Training Programs: Language Training

Language training is an important aspect of any predeparture training program

Advantages of using the English language in global business

Widespread application concentration of economic and corporate power

Disadvantages of using English in global business:

Tendency to rely exclusively on English and not to learn other languages Foreign partners speak both English and their own languages and have an

advantage over English-speakers Difficulty to monitor some environmental factors such as competitors or

protecting important technology in dealing with foreign organizations and in foreign locations

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Components of Predeparture Training Programs: Language Training

Knowledge of the host country’s language offers several benefits:

Expatriate performance and negotiating ability is enhanced Expatriates have easier access to important data and information needed for

their assignments (for example, data and information on the host country’s economy and economic indicators, market structure, competition, investment climate, political trends)

closer direct interaction with host country stakeholders is possible

Research studies indicate that expatriates usually accord high importance to speaking the language of their host countries as a means of not only performing better on their assignments, but also for forming social support structures and in associating with the rest of the expatriate community

Language skill-building is often omitted from predeparture training programs because of the time factor and the difficulty of monitoring employees’ language skills

April 8, 2023 14

Practical Assistance for Expatriate and his Family

Providing the expatriate and his family practical assistance with the assumption of the new

assignment, can relieve anxiety and pressure, and overcome negative feelings towards

the host country

Types of practical assistance include:

Relocation Assistance

Local Orientation

Language Assistance

Some private companies are providing expatriate relocation and orientation

services

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Training of HCNs and TCNs

In theory, all expatriates should be provided with adequate

predeparture training prior to their dispatch on an

international assignment

but

In practice, organizations often accord priority to training

their PCNS, while (comparatively) neglecting the training

needs of their HCNs and TCNs

April 8, 2023 16

Training of HCNs: Some Considerations

Often, organizations localize the training of their HCNs

In some instances, notable where skills and work practices are

considered strategically important, HCNs may be trained in

other subsidiaries in programs which are designed and

implemented by the organization’s headquarters (Nissan and

Honda example)

Training has the inherent danger, that trained employees may

be wooed away from an organization by competitors with the

promise of higher salaries and better opportunities

April 8, 2023 17

Training of HCNs: Some Considerations

There are several good reasons for transferring HCNs to the organizations headquarters or home-subsidiary units:”

Providing technical and managerial competency training (Pepsi example)

Building a sense of corporate identity (Ericsson example)

Personal networking

Transfer of particular skills (Ford Australia example)

Note: HCNs must have good command of the corporate languagein order to participate in the training programs!

April 8, 2023 18

International Staff and Teams

Developing truly international teams with the corresponding level of experience involves providing the requisite training not only to PCNs, but also to non-PCNS (HCNs, TCNs)

Several techniques are used to develop international teams, including international job rotation and common attendance at training training programs, international meetings and networking amongst managers

April 8, 2023 19

Individual Career Development


1 – Recruitment& Selection

Parent Repatriation

InternationalAssignment

5 – Reassign-ment

2 - Deselect

3 – PrematureReturn

4 – ExitOrganization

Documents

International HRM and Trainingg&Development