Managing International Assignments - Essay Example

Managing International Assignments Affiliation: Managing International Assignments What should Fred do in order to complete the assignment successfully? With regards to the case, it is clear that Fred was not fully prepared to face the challenges in Japan. The problem is however not out of hand; therefore, Fred can pursue necessary and appropriate measures to ensure that he amends the mistakes he committed and try to put the pieces together in order to restore the business flow. The first step that Fred should take is to learn the culture and train his wife to adapt to the culture. Fred made several unnecessary assumptions that can practically jeopardize the entire mission; therefore, he should learn to avoid making such mistakes and exercise keenly. Fred should also employ collaborative means of dealing with the employees; in essence, he should develop interpersonal relationships and bring together the cultural groups and teach them to collaborate for the benefit of the company (Cuevas et al., 2011). That way it is cheap to create proper business interactions and attain a collaborative workforce. Another important step is to establish warm relationships with his co-workers within and outside the office as it is done in the Japanese culture. With regards to his family, he should take time to deal with issues facing the family and engage them in dealing with the cultural challenges they are facing as well as encourage his wife to exercise patience. Fred should also find a job for his wife in Tokyo so that she feels productive. Apart from the above steps, Fred should conduct the following; Fred ought to respect the cultural variances within the workplace so he can construct a structure and a working environment that upholds cultural diversity. Since the Japanese culture is relationship oriented, Fred should destroy the hierarchical style of administration and focus on the association building. The Japanese community prefers avoidance of uncertainty; therefore, he should shrink ambiguity in the duties for employees and their responsibilities (Adler, 2008). Fred should engage his team in the construction of the office’s objectives so that everybody can appreciate his awareness of the cultural diversities in the office. He should develop avenues of communication, release control and ask for the response from workers. Also, he may share corporate principles with Japanese clients and preserve harmony instead of conflict. 2. Do you think the pre-departure training program would be equally useful for both Fred and Jenny? Why or why not? It is clear that the pre-departure training across the cultures is pertinent and could be a significant step towards solving the problems facing Fred. Both Fred and his Wife should have had the pre-departure training as it would first inform them of the challenges awaiting them in Japan. The training would also provide Fred and His family with the proper ways of handling the challenges they would encounter. In this regard, Fred would be aware of his difficulties and on the other hand Jenny would also be aware of family challenges; therefore, each one of them would easily tackle the issues without involving the other party. Family problems would not concern Fred because Jenny would be able to deal with the occasions as they come single-handedly (Cuevas et al., 2011). 3. If a firm does not want to invest the capital and resources required to train an employee about other cultures to prepare for an international assignment, what other alternatives does the firm have to prepare expatriates for such a successful business? Fred’s case is an exceptional one because it was on a short notice. Nonetheless, it is necessary for an international business to maximize its capital, a proper plan that will not use much of the company’s resources would be to inform the expatriate of the possible transfer to a different cultural workplace and ask them to conduct research on the cultural differences and how to adapt to those cultures. The company should also give sufficient time to the expatriate to learn the language of that particular culture (Adler, 2008). Another possible and most appropriate option is to hire a Host Country National. That way the company will reduce the use of its resources and in turn invest in it. 4. What do you think is better for Kline & Associates’ Tokyo office, a Parent-Country National (PCN) or Host-Country National (HCN) manager? It is essential to create a multinational interaction when it comes to business; nonetheless, the Kline & Associates needs to stabilize and grow commercially. The company should seek appropriate ways to increase their productivity. In my opinion, the company needs to hire a Host Country National in order to reduce the training and relocation cost. The company will not go through the challenges of having to conduct pre-departure training to their employees. Another benefit of employing an individual from the host country is that there is no stress of appreciating the culture of the foreign country and also creating a cohesive environment because the individual already acknowledges the host business culture (Cuevas et al., 2011). 5. What are the skills a global project manager (PM) must acquire? A global project manager should have the following skills; He should understand the culture and language of the host country. He should understand the business culture of the host nation and how to handle the clients. A global manager should possess outstanding communication skills so that he can engage the local workforce as well as the head office to take part in a successful project. The project manager should be creative and can solve personal challenges, as well as those of the workplace. He should be a quick learner so that he can learn the language appropriately and other cultural norms quickly and without difficulty. He should be able to appreciate other cultural diversities and rapidly merge into the cultures. 6. What must a global manager do prior to venturing out on any project? A world manager should communicate, negotiate, manage, assist, plot and make decisions in a foreign nation. Therefore, one must undertake a cross-cultural training that prepare him to handle the challenges involved in the global project. Project managers should conduct research on the existing challenges based on the performance of the previous directors. 7. How cultural diversity impacts Human Resource practices Cultural diversity comes with varying cultural context in terms of the physical environment as well as social context. Social context deals with the communication aspect. High context cultures heavily depend on the physical environment of communication and internalized social context. With regards to low context cultures, messages are unequivocal (Dowling, 2011, p.101). These cultural diversities may result in unintentional problems within the company. Business culture varies from one state to another, this means that the conduct of the employees amongst themselves and the client vary; therefore, if there is communication barrier and disagreement in terms of mode of operation within the firm, it would be difficult to get the employees from across the cultural circles to work together towards the goal of the company. 8. What role does effective communication play in Fred’s case? What strategies could Fred use in order to change some of his negative outcomes? With regards to Fred’s case, communication plays a vital role that is, it influences the expatriate adjustment to the foreign culture as well as, facilitates cooperation of workers. Good communication would help Fred gain confidence of the workers from across the cultures. It would also help him authoritatively negotiate with the clients. Communication would also ensure a good relationship between Fred and the co-workers; therefore, ensuring that the employees work together towards the goals of the enterprise. In terms of proper strategies, towards altering Fred’s adverse outcomes, he should prioritize learning all the required communication skills and incorporate them (Dowling, 2011, p.95). . Fred ought to put together the entire workforce; therefore, he should appreciate the Japanese culture and learn to be keen all the details regarding the business procedures. As one of the appropriate measures to reinstate the normal state of business, Fred should look for an interpreter in order to enhance his communication with the workers. 9. When should an interpreter be used in a business meeting? What ways might this external help be beneficial to Fred? An interpreter should be introduced during general meetings with the workers. Another appropriate time, at which the interpreter should come in, is during free time, so that he can interpret individual reports to Fred. The external help will enhance the communication with his co-workers. A good communication with employees will ensure proper feedback and good flow of work. References Adler, N. J., & Gundersen, A. (2008). International dimensions of organizational behavior. Mason, Ohio: Thomson/South-Western. Cuevas, P., Beda-Andourou , A., Bernal, M., Bolivar, M., & Mujtaba, B. (2011). Lessons from Fred Baileys Expatriate Experience in Japan: Proactively Preparing Employees for International Assignments. Retrieved on February 28, 2013 from http://jbsq.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sep-2011-4.pdf Dowling, P., Festing, M., & Engle, A. D. (2008). International human resource management: Managing people in a multinational context. London: Thomson Learning. Read More