Identifying & Preparing Managers for Foreign Assignments
In this day and age of increasing globalization it is with more frequency that we will require US managers to participate in foreign assignments. However, it would be foolish of any company to think that they can just simply send any manager, or that they can send a manager without any prior preparation. The focus of this paper will be to analyze methods and processes of how to appropriately select a manager for a foreign assignment. It will also focus on an evaluation and analysis of methods used to prepare managers for foreign assignments.To start, there will an explanation of the need to have US managers participate in foreign assignments. This will focus on recent trends in globalization, how these trends could effective international and multinational corporations and the importance of identifying changes in trends and adapting our managers accordingly. Secondly, we will focus on the importance of selecting the "right" managers to participate in foreign assignments. We will look at what types of people have typically worked out best in the past and also look at techniques a company may use for identifying these people. Furthermore, I will analyze methods for ensuring the proper preparation of any associate selected fo
involved in this interview process to the extent possible. This method is effective and can give the company a well rounded view of the candidate's technical/managerial skills, interest and willingness to go abroad, motivation and ability to be successfully. This method can also identify any potential family related issues prior to the family being relocated. This method is currently one of the most commonly utilized. The selection process used to identify managers to be sent on overseas assignments is a serious matter. There are many different selection methods a company can use, each having it's own pros and cons. The key is finding what works best for your company and to then implement a standard selection method. Making a poor selection decision can not only cost the company valuable time, used in selecting and training a suitable replacement, but will also cost a company financially. On average the compensation paid to an expatriate is two/three times base salary and this does not include relocation costs which can range anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars per family per move. Total it is estimated that a failed foreign assignment can easily cost a company up to one (1) million dollars. whenever possible to have a host country national provide the training. I say this because a host country national is the most familiar with the country, they can teach much more than the basics, such as proper greetings, non-verbal communications, political environment, and proper manners, (i.e. at the table or in meetings) just to name a few. Additionally, written instruments , often referred to as paper and pencil testing, is another method that is commonly used. There are several instruments that have been developed, specifically to ease in selecting appropriate candidates.
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Approximate Word count = 4526
Approximate Pages = 18 (250 words per page double spaced)
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