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Chapter Six

International Training and Development

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Chapter Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:• discuss the importance of the role of training in supporting

expatriate adjustment and on-assignment performance• identify the components of effective pre-departure training

programs such as cultural awareness, preliminary visits and language skills, along with relocation assistance and training for trainers

• explain the effectiveness of pre-departure training

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Chapter Learning Objectives

• define the developmental aspect of international assignments

• describe the process of training and developing international management teams

• identify trends in international training and development

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Chapter Vignette

Are You Ready?

Expatriates require pre-departure training to deal with • cultural adjustment• foreign language

and support including:• preliminary visits• relocation assistance• training for trainers

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Terms

• cultural awareness• pre-departure training• preliminary visits

language traininginternational Englishcorporate language

training

development

international business travelers

international ‘cadre’

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HR Core Competence and Source of

Competitive Advantage

Human resource • accumulated stock of knowledge, skills, and abilities that

the individuals possess, which the firm has built up over time into an identifiable expertise.

Training and development • way in which the multinational builds its stock of human

resources – its human capital.

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Training

• process aimed at improving employees’ current work skills and behaviour

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Development

• process aimed at increasing employees abilities in relation to some future position or job

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International Assignments Provide T&D

• T & D plays a strategic role in international business operations

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International Assignments Provide T&D

Expatriates

• are trainers through transfer of knowledge

• ensure that systems and processes are adopted

• gain management capabilities

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International Training and Development (Figure 6-1)

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Role of Expatriate Training

Intercultural Training

• objective is to help people cope with unexpected events in a new culture

• remains the most common form of pre-departure training

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Availability of Cross-Cultural

Training in MNEs (Table 6-1)

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Components of Effective Pre-Departure Training Programs

• cultural awareness• preliminary visits• language skills• relocation assistance• training for trainers

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Cultural Awareness Programs

Expatriates learn to

• adapt to and not feel isolated from the host country

• appropriate behaviours and coping patterns

• understand the host‑country value and belief system

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Cultural Awareness Programs

Components of cultural awareness programs vary according to

• country of assignment

• duration

• purpose of the transfer

• provider

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Tung-Cultural Awareness Programs

Based on

• different learning processes

• type of job

• country of assignment

• time available

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Tung-Cultural Awareness Programs

Area studies programs that include • environmental briefing• cultural orientation• culture assimilators• language training• sensitivity training• field experiences

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Tung-Cultural Awareness Programs

• if the expected interaction and dissimilarity between the individual and the host culture is low, then training should be task‑ and job‑related and rigor low.

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Tung-Cultural Awareness Programs

• if the expected interaction and dissimilarity between the individual and host culture was high, then training should focus on cross‑cultural skill development as well as on the new task and rigor high.

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Tung-Cultural Awareness Programs

Training should have more emphasis on

• life-long learning not ‘one-shot’ programs with an area-

specific focus

• foreign language training

• levels of communication competence, not just verbal

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Tung-Cultural Awareness Programs

• cross-cultural training assists in managing diversity

• the preview of the expatriate position should be realistic, as this facilitates effective performance

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The Mendenhall, Dunbar and Oddou Cross-cultural Training Model (Figure 6-2)

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Black and Mendenhall -Cultural Awareness Programs

Three aspects of social learning theory

• attention, retention, reproduction

• influenced by individual differences in expectations and motivation, and the incentives to apply learned behaviors

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Black and Mendenhall -Cultural Awareness Programs

• recognizes that the expatriate’s willingness and ability to act upon that training in the new environment is crucial to effective performance

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Cultural Awareness Programs

• monitoring and feedback are important components of individual skill development, adjustment and performance

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Cultural Awareness Training and

Assignment Performance (Figure 6-3)

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Preliminary Visits

Well‑planned trip to the host country for the candidate and spouse allows them to

• assess their suitability for and interest in the assignment

• be introduced to the business context

• be encouraged to do more pre-departure preparation

• begin to adjust to the host location

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Language Training

Not given a high priority• English is the language of world business

• ability to speak the host country’s language improves the expatriates effectiveness and negotiating ability

• able to speak the corporate language can give expatriates added power in the subsidiary

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Language Training

There should be more emphasis on

• the provision of foreign language training

• the levels of communication competence, not just verbal, so the person becomes bicultural and bilingual.

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Practical Assistance

Family adjustment support and relocation services can include

• housing issues • household goods movement• destination services• settling in assistance• yearly home visits• eldercare assistance• taxation policy

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Practical Assistance

• visas and work permits • relocation allowance • compensation and benefits • education assistance for families• health and medical insurance and issues• spousal employment and career assistance

• hardship allowances

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Practical Assistance

• automobile allowances• family preliminary visits and orientation • factual knowledge about the other country and

travelling abroad• adjustment and adaptation to the foreign country host

countries value and belief systems• safety, human rights and other required code of

conducts

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Training for The Training Role

Ability to transfer knowledge and skills in a culturally sensitive manner

• utilize knowledge transfer process of repatriates

• train expatriates on code of conduct

• train HCN and TCNs

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Perceived Value of Cross-Cultural Preparation of Expatriates (Table 6-2)

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Developing Staff Through International Assignments

Outcomes

• management development

• organizational development

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Developing Staff Through International Assignments

• important mechanism for MNEs to develop international expertise, cadre and a global mindset through management and organizational development

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Developing Staff Through International Assignments

• ensures global competitiveness through the development of a globally-oriented and experienced management cadre

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Management Development

• individual career progression

• pool of experienced international managers for future

international assignments

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Organizational Development

• a stock of knowledge, skills and abilities for future growth

• global mindset

• expatriates agents of control, socialization, knowledge transfer

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Developing International Teams Through International Assignments

(Figure 6-4)

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MNEs Benefit from Using

International Teams

A mechanism for• fostering innovation, organizational learning and knowledge

transfer• enhancing horizontal communication • encouraging diverse inputs into decisions• developing a global perspective• developing shared values and control through socialization

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Discussion Questions

1. What are some of the challenges faced in training expatriate managers?

2. How does an international assignment assist in developing a ‘cadre’ of international operators? Why is it necessary to have such a ‘cadre’?

3. Why do some MNEs appear reluctant to provide basic pre-departure training?