The Right Way to Manage Expats

Question 1

What are the three general practices that companies who are good at managing expats follow?

Answer 1

1. When making international assignments, they focus on knowledge creation and global leadership development
2. They assign overseas posts to people whose technical skills are matched or exceeded by their cross- cultural abilities
3. They end expatriate assignments with a deliberate repatriation process

Question 2

in most cases, companies send people abroad to fill a ______________

Answer 2

burning business need: to fight a competitor gain- ing market share in Brazil, to open a factory in China, to keep the computers running in Portugal.

Question 3

the companies that manage their expats effectively view foreign assignments with an eye on the _____ term.

Answer 3

long

Question 4

T or F: An executive cannot develop a global perspective on business or become comfortable with foreign cultures by staying at head- quarters or taking short business trips abroad

Answer 4

True

Question 5

what are the two principal goals of international assignments? Are they mutually exclusive?

Answer 5

1. generation of knowledge
2. development of global leaders

They are not mutually exclusive, but it is unlikely that an international posting will allow a company to achieve both goals in every case to an equal degree

Question 6

The reason for sending a person overseas must go beyond __________________

Answer 6

an immediate business problem

Question 7

Managers often send people on overseas assignments who are capable but culturally ___________

Answer 7

illiterate

Question 8

What 5 characteristics make a good expat candidate?

Answer 8

1. A drive to communicate
2. Broad-Based Sociability
3. Cultural flexibility
4. Cosmopolitan Orientation
5. Collaborative negotiation style

Question 9

Why are expats often disappointed upon their repatriation

Answer 9

expats believe that a successful overseas assignment is an achievement that deserves recognition.

-They want to put their new skills and knowledge to use and are often disappointed both by the blase attitude at headquarters toward their return and by their new jobs. –> especially because most are used to independence of running a foreign op

–> changes and difficulty adapting in personal lives also makes it challenging

Question 10

how can companies manage repatriation –> Monsanto example 3 steps to reduced turnover rates

Answer 10

1. HR officer and line manager assess the skills that the expat bas gained during her experience overseas. They also review potential job openings within Monsanto.
2. At the same time, the expat herself writes a report that includes a self-assessment and describes career goals.
3. The three then meet and decide which of the available jobs best fits the expat’s capabilities and the organization’s needs.