Unit 5 : International HRM

1
Growing Interest in International HRM
Following are the reasons that has contributed towards the growth of IHRM :
Globalization of Business has added to the number of multinational
enterprises across the globe resulting in greater mobilization of human
resource.
The effective management of Human resource is increasingly being realized
as a major determinant of success and failure in international business.
Unit 5 : International HRM

Expatriate preparation
!bout "#$ of e%patriates fail upon wor&ing in a new country. This is not due to
incompetence in wor&place s&ills or tas&s' but rather to being unable to adapt to the
foreign culture. That being said' the need for e%patriate preparation is e%tremely
high. To prepare for success as an e%patriate' decide where you want to go' who
will accompany you' and how long you want to stay. (e%t' find a job in your country
of desire. Finally' apply for the visa that you will need for your stay in that country.
)n order to be ade*uately e*uipped' the future e%patriate must ac*uire &nowledge
about the culture they are entering' as well as its differences. They must also
become competent in cross culture communication. This does not happen
immediately and ade*uate preparation time is needed before departing from one+s
home country. ,ome of the most psychologically challenging areas for e%patriates
are verbal communication' nonverbal communication behavior' and wor& styles.
-ommunication is the most important aspect of these as it promotes benefits to
psychological health.
Before entering the host country' an e%patriate must understand' appreciate and
accept the values' norms' beliefs' and behavioral patterns of the host culture. .ne
way to ac*uire &nowledge about the host country' is to ta&e the -ognitive
!pproach. This includes learning about the country through lecture/type orientation
and fact/orientation. This involves briefing of the environment and becoming
oriented with the culture so that the e%patriate may understand things such as the
history' the geography' the religion' the people' and the economy. .ne of the best
ways to ac*uire &nowledge about the culture is through e%periences. This can be
done through e%periential e%ercises and cultural assimilators. .ne may undergo
field simulations or attend assessment centers to ta&e part in e%periential training.
.ther forms of e%periential training include role/playing' and wor&shops. Ta&ing
part in e%periential training will allow the e%patriate to develop a better
understanding of the host culture and its details. Field e%periences can also be
used to ac*uire more &nowledge. This is where the e%patriate goes into another
culture for a short period of time' to become accustomed to the feeling of being out
of their homeland. This will then contribute to the success of the e%patriate.