International Business - Expatriate Selection

It 'a previous article I noted that American companies continue to think of themselves as American, not multinational, thereby overseas assignments are not seen in a strategic totality, but rather as a nuisance that must be addressed to time to time. So when an area requirement for a manager in China, Africa or elsewhere, it usually follows a mad dash to find someone willing to take the position. Overlooked is whether that person and his / her family are actually suitable for the location and the lifestyle you want. The result can be an expensive disaster for the company and the family involved.

Expatriate success did not come. Individuals assigned to work abroad must bring the innate ability to live and work in a different culture and personal characteristics necessary to adapt to a variety of styles and business ethics. Only a selection program designed to focus on identifying appropriate attributes can determine who has the "right stuff". American companies spend millions annually to determine that employees must be in management or sales, it should receive less attention service for expats?

The current practice of assigning 3 2 years abroad as part of what is otherwise considered a career in the States is no longer enough. Once individuals (and their families) were identified as international material, their careers should be channeled in that direction.

In fact, in the absence of such a career path, a position abroad may be a switch of career. Once out of sight of the enterprise, employees abroad can be separated from their support systems and mentors. Often after a return on a three to five years can be daunting as going abroad in the first place. Without a solid career path in place, there can be no assignment "next".

This paper proposes that a company with international operations to create career paths and succession plans for employees in suitable international work in the same way they are developed for employees of other disciplines.

The first step in this process is an inventory of skills. Given the current computerization, there is no reason why a company does not have a complete history of each employee. And while this is not and can not provide a complete picture of each employee, should enable management to identify employees who have experienced the relocation, which have traveled a lot, who have multiple skills and perhaps some language skills. From this initial screening, further assessment can be made.

Once identified, the employees and their families should be subjected to a rigorous screening process to determine their suitability for an international assignment. This includes, in addition to their normal management skills, high standards of internal work, a focus on results, a desire to understand and the willingness to accept and appreciate other cultures, the willingness to try new things, independence (the family can function as a unit with no support systems for large or multiple), without family or personal problems, and imperative, especially, want to be there.

After qualifying for an international position, the employee must be assigned to a stateside location to the coordination of international operations until such time as an overseas assignment becomes available. Of equal importance is grounded through the company's operations and culture.

A little known aspect of working abroad and appreciated is the role that relationships play in personal success. They are the glue that holds together the international operations, particularly in the Far East. Develop and improve takes time and energy. Therefore, 5 10 assignments per year must be regarded as the norm.

Establish career paths that integrate international operations as part of a whole strategic disaster return decreases and allows the company to adopt a more healthy for expatriate personnel. More importantly, when not on missions abroad, employees can make a major contribution to a global perspective necessary programs and business plans. Qualified and successful international employees are an expensive and important that it should be nurtured and fully exploited....