Expatriate International Career
Cycle
Recruitment, Orientation, and
Reentry Criteria for the
Expatriate Assignment
Cross-Cultural Studies Focus on:




Behavior of employees;
Trains people to work in a multi-cultural
environment ;
Describes and compares organization
behavior across cultures; and
Outlines ways to interact within a multicultural workforce.
Definition of Culture:



Something that is shared by all or
almost all members of some social
group;
Something that the older members of
the group try to pass on to the younger
members; and
Something (e.g., morals, laws, customs)
that shapes behavior, or structure’s
one’s perceptions of the world.
Six Dimensions of Cultural
Orientations in Societies







Individuals
Relationship to nature and the world
Relationship to other people
Activity: “Doing” or “Being”
Orientation in time
Orientation in space
Source: Nancy J. Adler
Edward Hall:



High Context Culture
Low Context Culture
How much information is enough?
Space



Territoriality
Personal space
Multisensory spatial experience
Time








Monochronic
Do one thing at a
time
Time commitments?
Low-Context
Rules of privacy
Respect for property
S-t relationships
Follow plans







Polychronic
Do many things at
once
Are highly
distractible
Time commitments?
High-context
Relationships
Change plans
Stages of Expatriate International
Career Cycle








Home Country Assignment
Recruitment
Selection
Orientation
Foreign Country Assignment
Debriefing
Reentry
Return
Typical First-Year Cost of a U.S.
Expatriate (Married, Two
Children) in Tokyo, Japan

Direct Compensation Costs:
Base Salary
$100,000
Foreign Service Premium
15,000
Goods and Services
73,600

Less: U.S. Housing Norm
(15,400)
U.S. Taxes
(17,200)



Company-Paid Costs:






Schooling (two children)
Annual Home Leave
Housing
Japanese Income Taxes
Transfer/Moving Costs
Total Company Costs
$ 15,000
4,800
150,000
84,000
38,000
$447,800
Selection Criteria for the
International Assignment
(Gonzalez and Negandhi)


The study surveyed 1,161 U.S.
Expatriates in 40 Countries
Survey asked expatriates to list the
ideal background for an overseas
career
Ideal Background for an
Overseas Career:






Adaptability of the Family
Leadership Ability
Knowledge of the Job
Knowledge of the Host Country
Well-educated
Respect for Foreigners
20%
19%
14%
13%
13%
12%
Ideal Background for an
Overseas Career:




Previous Overseas Experience
Desire to Serve Overseas
Miscellaneous
Total
4%
4%
1%
100%
Desirable Skills and Attributes:

Technical Competence
Written and Verbal Competence
Common Sense
Assertiveness
People-Oriented
Fair
Energetic
Sense of Humor

Source: Stephen Heumann, The West Co.







Educational Background:

Broad-based course of study
Liberal arts blended with technical skills
Foreign language
Travel
Understanding cultural and religious
differences
Reading foreign journal/newspapers

Source: Stephen Heumann, The West Co.





Are You Right for the Job
Outside of the U.S. ?




Do I have the necessary skills for the
position?
Does my family favor living overseas
and are we able to adapt to new
situations?
Is our current family life stable?
If a family member has a health
problem, can it be treated in the host
country?
Are You Right for the Job
Outside of the U.S.?



Will this experience provide general
career advancement?
Where will I be when we return home?
Will I have an immediate position with
my sponsor or another organization?
Since many expatriate spouses are not
able to get work permits, is my spouse
willing to interrupt a career?
Are You Right for the Job
Outside of the U.S.?

Does my firm offer sufficient support
and financial compensation to
expatriates?
Selection Methods:




Tests:
California Test (the indirect scale of
ethnocentrism)
Personal Interviews
Assessment Centers
Training Techniques for
Expatriate Preparation:




Informational Training:
Lectures, Reading Material, Video
Tapes
Overall Purpose: Area Studies
Experiential Workshops
Cultural Assimilator, Role Playing
Overall Purpose: Learning via
experience
Training Techniques for
Expatriate Preparation:




Sensitivity Training:
Communication Workshops,
Outward Bound Trips
Overall Purpose: Communication style,
empathy, and listening skills
Language Skills:
Classes, Tapes
Overall Purpose: Interpersonal
communication
Training Techniques for
Expatriate Preparation:



Field Experiences:
Meeting with former expatriates,
short-term visits to host country
Overall Purpose: Customs, values,
non-verbal communication skills
Source: S. Ronen, “Training the International
Assignee,” in Training and Career
Development, 1st edition, San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 1989, p. 438)
Ten Ways to Prepare for the
Overseas Assignment:






1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Read and Learn About the Culture.
Learn the Language.
Study Maps.
Practice the Currency.
Learn Measurements.
Meet Someone from the Host
Country.
Ten Ways to Prepare for the
Overseas Assignment:





7. Talk to someone who has been
there.
8. Prepare as a Family.
9. Arrange Good-Byes.
10. Take What You Need to Make a
Home.
Source: Copeland and Griggs, Going
International
Four Stages of Culture Shock:




Initial Euphoria
Irritation and Hostility
Adjustment
Reentry--Reverse Culture Shock
Ten Ways to Cope When the
Going Gets Rough:







1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Review and Renew.
Look for the Local Logic.
Make a Friend.
Avoid Complaining Americans.
Do Not Neglect Your Partner.
Use the Time.
Do Not Deny Reality When Things
Are Bad.
Ten Ways to Cope When the
Going Gets Rough:




8. Do Not Make Comparisons With
Home.
9. Do Not Get Hung Up on Being
Liked.
10. Be Careful About the Culture Shock
Cures You Choose.
Source: Copeland and Griggs, Going
International
Three DCs as a Rule of Thumb:




Do not Compare
Do not Complain
Do not Criticize
Source: Infogram, The International Family,
David M. Kennedy Center for International
Studies
Why U.S. Employees Fail in
Foreign Assignments:



Inability of the manager’s spouse to
adjust to a different physical or cultural
environment;
The manager’s inability to adapt to a
different physical or cultural
environment;
Other family-related problems;
Why U.S. Employees Fail in
Foreign Assignments:




The manager’s personality or emotional
immaturity;
The manager’s inability to cope with the
responsibilities posed by overseas
work;
The manager’s lack of technical
competence; and
The manager’s lack of motivation to
work overseas.
The Degree of Reverse Culture
Shock Depends On:




How long you have been away;
Whether you were immersed and
comfortable in the host country culture
or remained a “visitor”;
Whether you had a difficult time
adjusting to your host culture;
Whether you kept up-to-date on trends
and events at home;
The Degree of Reverse Culture
Shock Depends On:



Whether you had a mentor relationship
with someone within the “home”
organization; and
What type of living conditions you
experienced or witnessed in the host
culture.
Source: Infogram, “Coming Home Again,”
David M. Kennedy Center for International
Studies, Brigham Young University.
How to Cope with Reverse
Culture Shock:





Be prepared to acknowledge that you
have changed.
Find a mentor within your organization.
Communicate often with family and coworkers.
Research returning to the home country.
Re-adjust your expectations of the “ideal
place to live.”
How to Cope with Reverse
Culture Shock:

Do not expect people to listen to your
cross-cultural experiences.