Group 4 Presentation
The Role of Family in
International Assignments
Iwona Samsel
Frank John
Katsufumi Araki
Gurhan Gunal
Cem Oktaymen
History of IHRM
1900s
Focus on motivating, controlling and
improving the productivity of entry-level
employees.
1920s
Appraising and training individuals
1930s and 1940s
Knowledge of groups and the impact of group
on individuals
2
History of IHRM
1950s and 1960s
Individual needs and motivation along with
advances in selection and development
1970s
Human resource management (safety and
health of the worker as well as individual
satisfaction and performance)
3
History of IHRM
Late 1970s and 1980s
Organizational strategy
Today
Global competition, worldwide labor
availability, business ethics and the
environment
4
Country Analysis
5
POLAND
Country Profile
Recent Activities in IHRM
Society and Foreign Assignments
Expatriation & Repatriation
Performance & Retention
IHRM: necessary changes
6
Poland
Country Profile
Geo/Demographics
EU Member: May 1st,2004
Political system:
Republic
Total area:
313 000 km²
Population: 38.6 million
GDP:
$463 billion
Religion:
Catholic
7
Poland
Country Profile cont.
Culture
 Collectivist Society
 Low Context
 Cultural Dimension Scores
 Don’t smile to strangers
=> follow NY style
 Learn few words in Polish
=> Poles will love it
 Bring flowers when visiting
Polish home
=> “thank you for invitation”
 Never refuse seconds
=> nothing better than Polish home
cooking
 Politics
=> always a good topic
8
Poland
Country Profile
Recent IHRM activities
Legal
• International Agreements
 Compensation
• Taxes
 Work for spouse
• Work permits
9
Society and Foreign Assignments:
Poland vs. US
Polish Expatriates
American Expatriates
 Pluses (+)
 Pluses (+)
•
•
•
•
• Exposure to foreign culture
Financial advantage
Exposure to foreign culture
Language
Resume
 Minuses (-)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Distance from relatives, friends
Language barrier
Lack of good childcare system
Work for spouse
Working hours
Vacation time
• Good level of education
• Good standard of living
• Good level of child care
• Location: central Europe
 Minuses (-)
• Language/lack of relevant value
• Distance from relatives, friends
• Weather: long cold winters
10
Expatriation and Repatriation
Expatriates & Families
Expatriation
 Pre-Departure Training
 Living Arrangements
 Child Care
Repatriation
 Little support for family
arrangements upon return
 No guaranteed work upon
return
 Educational Allowances
 Lack of set up of a
expatriate network
 No language training for
families
11
Performance and Retention
American Expatriates
 Successful completion
• Most of the interviewed
• Economic Development
• High Education Level
 Failure
• Few job offers for spouses
• Separation from relatives
• Weather
Polish Expatriates
 Successful completion
• Large % of interviewed
• Financial stimulus
• Future career
 Failure
• Separation from relatives
• Lack of support network
• No job offers without language
skills
12
IHRM: necessary changes
Support system
• Coach solution
• Network of local expatriates
• Living arrangements upon repatriation
Work for spouse
• Extended network with other foreign companies
Guaranteed job upon repatriation
Language Training for all family members
13
People’s Republic of China
Country Profile
Chinese Culture
Work-Family Conflict
Expatriates and Families
Performance & Retention
IHRM: necessary changes
14
People’s Republic of China
Population: 1.307 billion
Capital:
Beijing
Area:
9.596.960 sq km
GDP:
$ 7.262 trillion
GDP per capita: $ 5600
Labor Force: 760.8 million
Languages:
Chinese,
Mandarin
Political System: Communist
15
Chinese Culture
Confucius’s Relationships
•
•
•
•
•
Ruler - Subject
Husband – Wife
Father – Son
Brother – Brother
Friend - Friend
Guanxi
 Relationship between people
 Network of contacts
Mianxi
 Losing face
 Saving face
Lijie and Surface Harmony
•
•
Being polite and courteous
Proper etiquette preserves
harmony and face
Keqi
 Ke – guest qi – behavior
 Represents humbleness and
modesty
16
Culture cont.
Power Distance (PDI)
Masculinity (MAS)
• Very high power distance
 Medium range
• Inequality of power and wealth
 Woman have some rights
• Follow a caste system
Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI)
 Between medium and low
Individualism – Collectivism
(IDV)
• Collective society
• Reinforce extended family
• Everyone takes responsibility
 Tolerance for different opinions
Long – Term Orientation (LTO)
 Values long-term commitments
 Respect for tradition
 Strong work ethic
17
Work - Family Conflict
United States
 Work – further personal
growth
 Work and family is separate
 Family comes before work
 Family values = quality of
life
 Expressive individualism
 Individualistic society
China
 Work – welfare of family
 Family – based work ethic
 Extra work > future benefits
for family
 Collectivism > priority to work
 More experienced with families
dual carriers
18
Expatriates and Families
 Importance of guanxi
 Mostly long-term assignments
 Time to adjust to new culture
 Expatriate ( Diaspora) treated like family member
 Company will help overcome culture shock and provide intensive
pre – departure training
 Family stays behind until expatriate adjust to new environment
 Company demands come before family
 Family will support expatriate, for better future (long – term oriented)
 Low failure rate
19
Brazil
Country Profile
Culture Themes
Culture Differences
Adaptation
Family Concerns
20
Brazil
Total population
of 184 million
Among the most
popular
destinations
AIDS patients are
increasing
21
Culture Themes
Time and Work
Casual about time and work
Not concerned about being hard and efficient
Take two or three jobs
Extended Family
Larger role in society
Big family
Mutual support
22
Culture differences
The attitude of male dominance
Primary responsibility of women
To care for the home and the family
Must be patient to gain mutual trust
Slower business transaction
23
Adaptation
Difficult to communicate without Portuguese
A period of anxiety, doubts and concern
Safety and security
Avoid large gatherings or any crowds
24
Family Concerns
Children’s problems
Experiencing profound stress
E-mail, MTV and telephone—ease sense of
isolation from friends
Returning home—most difficult due to culture
differences, too alien for their friends
25
Family Concerns
Spouses’ concern
High risk of kidnapping for ransom
Must ensure that houses are secure
Children in the hands of people they can
trust
26
TURKEY
Country Profile
Facts for foreign expatriates
Society and Foreign Assignments
Legal Terms for foreign expatriates
Performance & Retention
27
Country Profile
Geo/Demographics
TURKEY
Age structure:
0-14 years: 27.2%
15-64 years: 66.4
65 years and over: 6.4%
EU Candidate
Political system: Republic
Total area: 2,648 km
Population: 70 million
GDP:
$507billion
Religion:
98% Muslim
28
Country Profile cont.
Culture
 Collectivistic Society
 Low Context
 Cultural Dimension
Scores
 Hospitable to a great
extent
 Don’t say no to food
serve in Turkish homes
 Be on time for business
meeting
 Always be ready for
dinner to close business
deal
 Politics, Soccer
always a good topic
29
FACTS FOR TURKEY
 Economic effect
Cultural effect
• increase in FDI increase in
• Male dominant
Foreign expatriates
 Possible EU
membership
• Circulation of Labor will
take place
• More job opportunities for
Turkish young labor force
• Tight family bonds
29.7% women and
68.3% men are in work
force
6 million Turkish
people works in abroad
• $5 billion dollars from
expatriates
30
Society and Foreign
Assignment: Turkey vs. Foreign
Turkish Expatriates
Foreign Expatriates
 Pluses (+)
 Pluses (+)
• Financial advantage
• Good Salary
• Exposure to foreign culture
• Vacation Length
• Language
• Good standard of living
 Pluses (-)
• Homesickness
• Language barrier
• Lack of good childcare system
• Vacation Length
• Sufficient level of child care
• Location: Southeastern Europe
 Minuses (-)
• Language/lack of relevant value
31
Legal Terms for foreign
expatriates
Constitutional rights
Turkey Laws follows EU
standards for Foreign expatriates
New laws are on process:
• August 2005 , work permit process will be faster
Taxes
32
Performance and Retention
Foreign Expatriates
Turkish Expatriates
 90% successful
completion
 13% failure
 Divorce rate
 Main reasons:
• Language barrier
• Culture shock
 Advantage of Eurasian
culture
 80% successful
completion
 15% failure
 Main reasons:
• Language barriers
• Homesickness
• Child care
33
Conclusion
Issues concerned with
Careers of the spouse
Children
Things to consider
Inclusion of family in decision-making process
Coping with new living quarters
Differences in clothing necessities
Family safety issues
Children’s education
Language barriers
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Conclusion
Some things that can make it easier to
live abroad
Do everything possible to make your time
abroad an exciting opportunity
“The best expat is the educated expat”
Encourage your children to maintain their
connection to home
Well compensation
35
Questions & Comments?
36