Session 10 - 031011 Staffing of International Business

Questions for Discussion : 1. What are the challenges of international human resource planning? 2. How is offshoring different from outsourcing? 3. Why are diversity policies gaining importance in the international scenario? 4. Why do expats fail? How to manage such failures? 5. Account for the low visibility of female expats. Assignment on International Manpower and Staffing Training & Development

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Session 10 - 031011 Staffing of International Business

Assignment - 2 : (Group Presentations) Identify from newspapers, journals and magazine articles in the past one month that talk about staffing issues faced by an organisation. Discuss the articles, and obtain as much information as you can from the web/desk research about the organisation / industry. 1. What is the nature of this organisations business? How does this impact the staffing issues discussed in the article? 2. Make a proposal on how this organisation can face the situation effectively. Assignment Presentations in Groups on 10th Oct11 Requirements : 1. All Groups have to make presentations on 10th Oct11 only 2. Time allowed 10 minutes 3. No individual / group presentation will be accepted after 10th Oct 4. First Group Presentation will start at 7.00 pm sharp and last presentation before 9.00 pm on the same day.
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Training and Development Agenda : 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Identify training determinants in the international context. List the elements of expatriate training The emerging trends in training to gain competitive advantage Emphasis on cultural training, Language training Training in global etiquette and the nuances of the virtual workshop culture.

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Training and Development Training Strategies :

Training Strategies bridge the gap between the capabilities of the individual hired and the role/responsibilities of the job that he/she is being hired for. 1. MNCs may make use of expatriates for short-term or long-term international job assignments. Accordingly, the kind of training and development initiatives differ. The focus while training an employee for a short-term assignment would remain narrowly focussed on what the objective of the assignment is, while cultural gaps and work-life differences would be of minimal importance. For a long-term assignment there would be a significant amount of time and effort expected in coaching the employee on the cultural differences, workplace behaviour and national etiquette, eating habits and copies strategies to help sustain success during the assignment.

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Training and Development Training Strategies :

4. The role and responsibilities of the position determine the extent and content of training. Roles that are higher up in the organisational hierarchy bring training focus to individual contributions and to equipping employees with the skills related to leadership styles and management challenges that are specific to the organisation/industry and the country of practice.

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Training and Development Expatriate Training : (Cross-cultural Training)

In selecting an expat for a global assignment, the focus is on ascertaining the cultural awareness and the fit for the host countrys culture. MNCs offer cross-cultural training (CCT) to teach their expatriates, the host countrys appropriate norms and behaviours. CCT may be understood as any planned intervention designed to increase the knowledge and skills of expatriates to live and work effectively and achieve general life satisfaction in an unfamiliar host culture. Any CCT should aim at imparting cross-cultural skills and knowledge to the expatriates and to facilitate his or her adjustment to the host countrys culture.

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Training and Development Expatriate Training : (Cross-cultural Training)

Benefits : Increases chances of success in global assignment. Provides a comprehensive global perspective for managers Instills a sense of confidence into people Foreign employees can be managed better Reduces culture shock due to frequent travel abroad Drawbacks : Develops a false sense of confidence among employees May not remove cultural biases and prejudices May not be taken seriously by the recipients May not make a visible difference in business volumes Can never fully prepare an assignee to face real problems.
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Training and Development Expatriate Training : (Cross-cultural Training)

Objectives : A few commonly understood objectives of training in the multinational corporation are : Bridging the cultural gaps between the host and the parent organisation Recognising that orientation / induction challenges are different for the parent and the host unit Ensuring that organisational success is critical in achievement of the global objectives Establishing and retaining advantages over international competitors Building a single organisational culture across its subsidiaries

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Training and Development

Expatriate Training : (Cross-cultural Training) 1. Training Need Analysis : Need analysis is a significant step in any training programme. Needs assessment diagnoses present problems and identities future challenges to be met through training and development. Need assessment occurs at three levels : Individual needs training when his performance falls short of standards and if performance deficiency occurs for want of skills. In the context of CCT, needs assessment examines the extent of the individuals prior overseas experience, his or her experience with an earlier CCT, and the expatriates existing levels of crosscultural knowledge and skills. In addition, the expatriates assessment helps identify his or her abilities to adjust to the host countrys living conditions and the intercultural communication styles. Finally, this analysis examines the needs of the expatriates entire family.

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Training and Development

Expatriate Training : (Cross-cultural Training) Training Need Analysis : Organisational Analysis considers the role of CCT within the context of the organisations (headquarters and/or subsidiary) culture, politics, structure and strategy. Such an analysis can assist both the headquarters and the subsidiary in supporting the global strategy. In addition, organisational analysis considers the availability of trainees and the equipment required to design and implement the CCT programme (e.g. additional budget, hire CC professional trainers) Assignment Analysis seeks to identify the tasks in the subsidiary and the type of cross-cultural skills and knowledge required to perform these tasks effectively.

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Training and Development

Expatriate Training : (Cross-cultural Training) 2. CCT Goals and Measures : The next step is to establish its goals and identify measurs to assess the effectiveness of the cross-cultural training. The goals of CCT can be short-term or long-term oriented. Short-term goals specify what the expatriate should be able to accomplish on completion of the CCT. Long-term goals, on the other hand, reflect the expected outcome of the expatriate assignment, e.g. cross-cultural adjustment and success on the assignment. Detailed and measurable training goals help develop appropriate outcomes for evaluation of the training.

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Training and Development

Expatriate Training : (Cross-cultural Training) 3. Develop and Deliver the CCT Programme : Develop and deliver CCT programmes involves two activities : deciding on the content of training and sequencing of training sessions. The next step is to establish its goals and identify measurs to assess the effectiveness of the cross-cultural training. The goals of CCT can be short-term or long-term oriented. Short-term goals specify what the expatriate should be able to accomplish on completion of the CCT. Long-term goals, on the other hand, reflect the expected outcome of the expatriate assignment, e.g. cross-cultural adjustment and success on the assignment. Detailed and measurable training goals help develop appropriate outcomes for evaluation of the training.

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Training and Development

Expatriate Training : (Cross-cultural Training) 4. Identify the Methods of Training : CCT programmes are generally conducted through following categories methods : a. Didactic Training : This is imparted through lectures, seminars, study material, discussions, videotapes and culturegeneral assimilators. Alternatively called educative training. Didactic general training seeks to incur a cognitive understanding of a culture so that its norms and behaviours can be easily appreciated by the assignees. b. Experiential Training : What is learnt through experience constitutes experiential training. Individuals learn best from their experiences in the host country or from interacting with individuals from other cultures. Methods in experiential specific training include role playing, cultural coaching and language training.
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Training and Development

Expatriate Training : (Cross-cultural Training) 4. Identify the Methods of Training : c. Sequencing of Sessions Instructional contents having been identified and methods of training being decided upon, the next logical step is to sequence the training sessions. Sequence refers to the timing of the training sessions. Training sessions can take place before departure, after departure and on arrival in the new culture, or a sequential combination of the two.

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Training and Development

Expatriate Training : (Cross-cultural Training) 5. Evaluating the Effectiveness of CCT : Evaluation of the effectiveness of a CCT refers to collection of information necessary to make decision relating to its continuation in the current form or modification of the programme. The CCT programme is said to be effective when the expatriate has acquired the necessary capabilities to live comfortably in the new environment.

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