Selecting employees to work abroad and establishing suitable career paths for overseas staff is just the tip of the iceberg. Equally important is the training and preparation they and their families receive before and during an assignment.

If you want to avoid a high failure rate, as well as below-average performance, certain guidelines must be followed. In particular, awareness of two of the most common problems:

o Misdirected orientation that does not take into account differences in individual perceptions of foreign environments.

o Organizational diffusion that affects any expatriate placement system that does not integrate the functions of selection, orientation and repatriation in a conceptually and procedurally cohesive system.

Individual perceptions

Technical skills and professional knowledge are not at stake here: Of the majority of expats who fail in jobs abroad, studies show that around 80 percent fail due to personal maladjustment rather than technical or job skills inadequate.

However, for all levels of employees, the costs of wrongful expatriation include initial hiring costs, relocation expenses, premium compensation, repatriation costs and replacement costs, as well as tangible costs of the poor job performance. An evaluation of the reasons for failure abroad and a review of the growing literature on this topic indicate, however, that an important “first principle” of human relationships is ignored or insufficiently considered. That is the fact that individuals differ in their perceptions of the same reality.

This, therefore, is the single most destructive aspect of the cultural readiness of today’s expats. Sadly, the information is delivered in a video or one-day talk by a self-described “expert,” all of which perfectly fits the American mindset for a quick fix and therefore has enormous appeal. Unfortunately, these programs generally do more harm than good. They tend to leave behind individuals conditioned to respond to stereotypes rather than think for themselves. Rather than trying to convey “the truth about Tokyo,” orientation programs should make it clear that employees and family members will experience their own Tokyos. No matter what they have heard or read, their experiences will be unique. Consider how difficult it could be to describe the essence of America to a foreigner who has no reference points. How do you explain New York vs California or the South? If the right people are selected, they will take the time themselves to study the country, its history and furthermore, they will discover that local nationals, feeling a genuine interest, will go overboard helping them in their understanding. In the long term, this is the only cultural orientation that is effective because each family assimilates it at their own pace and from their own perspective.

Selection / Orientation / Repatriation

In the system suggested here, the normally separate screening, orientation, and repatriation processes represent a continuum through which employees are identified, oriented to their new assignment, and when appropriate, prepared for their return to the United States. Repatriation in this system is functionally integrated with the selection / orientation process. Allow those who help to identify employees for overseas assignments to gauge their judgment by knowing the “who, what and why” of returnees, both the failures and the “success stories.”

As noted in a previous document, overseas assignments should be part of a company’s overall well-planned and well-communicated professional development program for certain shortlisted employees, rather than a “plum” available to just a few or a hiatus. professional suffered by the unfortunate.
In light of the perception issues discussed above, the counseling program should consist of three elements, all designed to provide the proper mindset. This would include:

Initial orientation

o Culture

An overview of the traditions / history of the country; government / economy; and living conditions, all designed to give an idea of ​​the country and its people with a strong emphasis on flexibility rather than rules for specific situations and the (often wrong) opinions of others.

o Assignment

Job requirements and expectations, length of assignment, expat benefits, including salaries / allowances; tax consequences; repatriation policy.

o Relocation

Clothing / housing requirements; health requirements; visa requirements, shipping / packing of goods to be shipped abroad, storage of homes in the United States; US Housing Provision / Rental, Foreign Housing

A pre-departure orientation

Because initial orientation often takes place a month or more prior to actual departure, a pre-departure orientation is recommended. This is to provide employees and their families with the information they will need in transit and upon arrival, as well as to emphasize material that has been covered previously. Also covered:

o A basic introduction to the language, more likely to be remembered when the opportunity to use it is near.

o Greater reinforcement of key behavioral values, especially open-mindedness.

o Route, emergency and arrival information.

Arrival orientation.

Upon arrival, the employee and their family must be met at the airport or other disembarkation point by a company sponsor assigned to facilitate the transition during the first month in the country.

Conclution

Too often, expatriate counseling programs and policies lose sight of the fact that ours is a culturally pluralistic society made up of individuals with an almost limitless range of attitudes and reactions to what they see, hear, and experience. One’s own experience in the foreign environment without an overwhelming and often misleading orientation program will ultimately determine the attitudes necessary for a productive and prosperous adjustment.

Within this conceptual framework. An effective overseas staffing system has been suggested that unifies the objectives and functions of selection, orientation and repatriation. Such an approach allows management to take advantage of the fact that the three processes are related and each corroborates the effectiveness of the other.