Paper instructions:
or this assignment, imagine again that you work for the global company you chose in your first assignment. You are in charge of improving the training and development for employees who are selected for international assignments.
Develop a 3–4 page (plus the cover page and reference page) outline of pre-departure training with a thorough description and explanation of the training programs that you suggest for improving expatriate performance.
Your assignment must address the following:
Articulate the training needs of new expatriate employees and the components of pre-departure training that will address those needs.
Determine the areas of emphasis and the details of the training.
Describe how the training will improve the expatriate experience for the new assignment.
Provide citations and references from the textbook and a minimum of two sources found on the Strayer databases at the Strayer Library.
Your assignment must:
Be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with 1-inch margins on all sides. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards. For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course.
The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:
Recommend training programs to improve performance throughout a multinational corporation comprised of a diverse workforce.
BUS325- Training (wk8)
As companies expand their operations on foreign land, the demand for international assignments also increases dramatically. Firms may choose to assign these assignments to the host country employees or expatriates, as determined by the global company that I am currently working for. If expatriates are selected for international jobs, firms must conduct pre-departure training to enhance the former’s business competence and help them fit in the new environment. Therefore, as the head of training and development in a multinational firm, I will ensure that new expatriate employees are trained in cultural awareness and language skills to help blend into the new environment and effectively undertake their assignments.
New expatriate employees have multiple training needs that must be addressed before resuming their international assignments. According to Abdullah and Jin, these needs include adequate training on the skills and capabilities required in handling new job functions and adaptability in the new culture and foreign environment (549). Arguably, new expatriates are deployed to business and social environments with varying cultures, practices, and languages. Therefore, these expatriates’ primary training needs are to acquire the essential skills and capabilities to fit in the host country and undertake their job functions effectively.
In this context, the firm will factor two components into expatriates’ pre-departure training; cultural awareness and language skills. As averred by Goodman, expatriates must learn about the host country’s societal and business tendencies (cited by Feitosa et al. 142). Brislin and Yoshida also add that firms should equip expatriates with culture-specific knowledge such as morals, rituals, and superstitions of the foreign country (cited by Feitosa et al. 142). In this scenario, the primary area of emphasis will be on the diverse beliefs, perceptions, living conditions, local customs, and values they are likely to encounter in the foreign country. While the firm may not train the employees on the manner in which to behave, it will equip the former with adequate knowledge on what to expect in the host country. In turn, employees will have the anonymity to choose the best practices during their stay in the new country. Training on cultural awareness will enhance the expatriates’ capability to blend into the new environment and make more insightful decisions that are considerate of other people’s cultures.
Furthermore, the firm will train the expatriates on the language skills required to undertake their new job functions and interact with other people in the host country. As averred by Abe and Wiseman, expatriates’ ability to speak the host language is a critical cross-cultural adjustment (cited by Feitosa et al. 140). Arguably, individuals with considerable skills to speak the host country’s language are more likely to interact with host country nationals (HCNs) than their counterparts. Besides, interaction with HCNs is critical for the expatriates’ social development and a high contributor to their morale to complete their foreign assignments. Therefore, in preparation for their foreign functions, the firm will train the expatriates on language skills. The primary area of emphasis of the training will be the host country’s national language and shared medium of communication that they can use in the foreign environment. The language skills would enable the employees to gain the confidence to interact with HCNs and fulfill their tasks by exchanging knowledge and information with a diverse workforce.
Of the two components of pre-departure training, the firm will emphasize cultural awareness because of its criticality in the success of one’s job function. As noted by Abdullah and Jin, cross-cultural training is essential in educating expatriates about the norm of the new culture and proper customary practices; but language training is an optional programme (551). Arguably, expatriates can learn to communicate with HCNs but must first understand the new culture’s norms to foster positive interactions with the HCN. Besides, the expatriates can enroll in language training programmes in the host country as they continue with their job assignments. Therefore, although language skills will also be an area of focus, the firm will prioritize cultural awareness during the pre-departure training.
In essence, the pre-departure training will improve the expatriate experience by helping the latter blend into the new environment. Notably, by acquiring the required language skills, the expatriates will be better positioned to interact with HSN and avoid isolation in critical decisions that may affect their assignments. Similarly, cultural awareness will boost the expatriates’ cross-cultural adjustments. The proposed training will enable the expatriates to fit into the new culture and undertake their tasks with ease.
In conclusion, new expatriates in the company have training needs in skills, capabilities, and adaptability required in the new environment, which must be addressed through proper pre-departure training. The proposed training will focus on two components of pre-departure training; cultural awareness and language skills. While the firm will address both areas during training, greater emphasis will be placed on cultural awareness to enable expatriates to blend into the new environment. Furthermore, upon completion, the proposed training will enhance the expatriates’ experience by developing cross-cultural adjustments, which is critical in their job functions.
Works Cited
Abdullah, Dayang Nailul Munna Abg, and Jin, Cheam Sheue. “Determining the Types of Training and Development Supports for Expatriates.” Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 172, no. 2015, 2015, pp. 548-554.
Feitosa, Jennifer, et al. “Expatriate Adjustment: Considerations for Selection and Training.” Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, vol.2, no.2, 2014, pp. 134-159.
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