How to Develop Competencies of Foreign Employees to Achieve the Companies Goals - Literature review Example

How to Develop Competences of Foreign Employees to Achieve the Companies’ Goals Arguably, employee development is one of the factors behind cultural changes in the organizations and global society. Due to today’s highly competitive business environment, companies need to ensure that their employees develop and demonstrate their personal abilities, behaviors and attribute that lead to superior performance in the workplace. Competency can be defined as those attributes of an individual that leads to superior performance at work (Horton 4). Job competencies can be referred to as individuals’ qualities that enable them meet or exceed customers’ expectations (Gupta 6). Core competencies are those skills and behaviors that that employees require to be able to be successful while doing their work. Generally, competency focuses on positive attributes of an individual (Verrecchia and Kirsten 310). Developing, extending and applying competencies are therefore a necessary aspect for all organizations. The most appropriate and effective way to achieve organizational goals is by matching employees and jobs via the use of competency model. This model assists organizations to improve management system through recruitment, organizational training and learning, career management, compensation, and performance management among others. This essay presents a very critical discussion on developing competencies of foreign employee to help in achieving organizational goals. Competency development is a very important driving force for enhancing the effectiveness and employability of employees. According to De Vos, De Hauw and Heijden (p.439), employability is the persistent fulfilling, acquiring and establishing of work via the use of competencies. Complex competency development of foreign employees is very essential for many organizations to operate effectively. Developing competencies of foreign employees helps in creating a very effective workforce that is capable of sharing knowledge and solving various problems in an organization. Competency development of employees helps companies to increase the employability of employees as well as employees’ level of job satisfaction and this is very crucial when it comes to increasing producing and achieving organizational goals. Research findings reveal that those employees who engage in various developmental practices and having enough support from the organization, have more positive career outcomes. Therefore, organizations should consider putting various initiatives in place so as to stimulate employee competency development. Scholars have pointed out competent employees to be the major resource of organizations in having a competitive advantage in the global market. Arguably, competitors can access other resources to compete but a company with very talented and competent workforce gain more and are able to successfully compete in a highly competitive market. Basically, competency comprise of knowledge, skills, abilities, traits and behaviors which can help employees to effectively perform duties assigned to them (Shermon 41). Competency is a very essential strategy as it enables senior management and employees to be informed about managerial skills (Tan). The aspect of competency has attracted much attention of various organizations and nowadays, many organizations focus on increasing their capabilities by investing in training employees and management development. More so, human resource departments emphasizes on competency development by creating opportunities within the organization for all employees to be able to develop their competencies and benefit themselves and the organization at large. Establishing competency building programs is necessary in operating organizations since employees’ competencies have been associated with their job performance and organizational productivity. Therefore, organizations need to focus on developing the competencies of every employee in order to gain a competitive advantage. There are various ways through which the competencies of foreign employees can be developed some of which include training and development; career management; shared responsibility; participating in cross-cultural associations; learning diverse languages; and creating and attending cultural events among others. These help in developing competencies of foreign employees and motivating them to work towards the achievement of organizational goals. Training and development is one common way of developing competencies of employees. Studies reveal that many employees successfully make use of training initiatives in developing their competencies. Training and educating employees helps these employees to effectively develop their competencies. Training is the development of specific competencies that play important role in meeting performance standards (Cooper 9). Some of the training competencies include effective presentation and facilitation skills; ability to create effective learning environments; ability to develop training concepts; and project management skills among others. Trainings such as cross-cultural training that will provide foreign employees with valuable information about different individuals and diverse cultures and this will in turn help them to develop realistic expectations as they perform their duties. Training is known to be one of the most important developmental practices and it forms an important part in competency development. Training and development of employee significantly contribute to employees’ competency development since it helps in improving accuracy and performance of employees. Effective training and development processes assists in identifying and delivering the most successful interventions that are sensitive to diverse cultures. This way, the competencies of an international employee will be developed and this will in turn affect the company positively. Individual competencies correlates with their performance at work and can be enhanced through training and development (Cooper 18). Today, many employers use learning, training and development opportunities to attract more and retain existing employees (Velde 169). In addition, using career management initiatives such as career counseling is also necessary and also this is another practice that many employees use to promote their competencies. Therefore, companies can focus on using such competency development practices and ensuring that their employees make use of these practices in a more effective manner so as to develop and promote their competencies. Another way to develop competencies of foreign employees to ensure that the company’s goals are achieved is through recruitment and selection processes. These processes help in role specification and selection of the right applicants who are able to successfully work on their competence with the aim of benefiting the company. The use of competencies helps in determining role and person specifications during recruitment process (Roberts 6). One benefit of effective recruitment and selection processes is that they help in reducing training costs and improve performance and productivity. This is so because in most cases organizations employ competent applicants who are capable of learning fast when they are trained. Moreover, performance management helps in establishing and promoting competencies of employees. This involves integrating competencies into new performance management process and also establishing significant links between employees’ capability, performance and reward. Diversity competency plays a leading role performance appraisal and it is also associated with compensation (Cox and Ruby 8). Another approach of developing competency is based on the role and contribution of the organization in competency development. Various companies should support their employees in their learning activities that may help them promote their competencies. The learning processes for diversity competency include awareness understanding and action which is reflected in job performance (Cox and Ruby 4). Basically, competency development is a shared responsibility that requires the participation of the organization as well as the employees. Therefore, through integrating training and career management, companies are able to tackle the developmental needs of their employees more diversely. Because of the positive career outcomes related with competency development, it is necessary for organizations to support their employees in any way possible to enable them develop their competencies. However, the employee themselves need to play their part to ensure that they develop their competencies in that, as the company establish stimulating environment and provide employee opportunities for competency development, employees are charged with the responsibility of seizing these opportunities and developing their competencies accordingly. Again, the organization need to focus on achieving the organizational goals and should therefore encourage employees to develop their competencies. Moreover, foreign employees can develop and promote their competencies by joining and actively participating in cross-cultural associations where they can freely interact and create relationships with their colleagues from different cultures. Volunteering at various culturally-based associations can be an added advantage to help them develop their competencies. More so, these employees can learn various languages and be able to communicate with diverse individuals without experiencing any communication barrier. They need to find meaningful ways to make use of and strengthen their knowledge about different languages and from various cultures. The ability to communicate in diverse languages worldwide is very important as this the key to flexibility and competency development. Again, foreign employees can engage in practices that will help them increate their global competency and awareness. Nevertheless, foreign employees can ensure that they effectively develop their competencies by attending various organized cultural events and participate in order to learn more about different cultures and appreciate diverse cultures. More so, organizations can develop cross-cultural competencies of foreign employees through cross-cultural motivation which enables these employees to actively network with individuals from different cultures and also recognize their strengths and focus on how to improve. Also by having cross-cultural knowledge, foreign employees can understand more about diverse cultures and be able to recognize and respect cultural diversity, and learn appropriate ways to interact with other employees from different cultures. In addition, these employees will be able to learn how to be sensitive to the dynamics of a cross-cultural workforce. Intercultural competence entails having respect for other cultures, being curious about other people’s cultures, and being open and willing to learn other cultures, but suspending judgment of other cultures. More so, foreign employees need to tolerate ambiguity and value cultural diversity. Additionally, foreign employees need to be fully equipped with necessary skills including skills of adapting to other cultural environment, and skills of interacting and communicating with individuals from other cultures among others. Being proficient in various foreign languages increases individuals’ competencies. Foreign employees should be able to interpret culturally determined behavior in a manner that reflects the situation. Another important factor in intercultural competencies is knowledge and this all about foreign employees having cultural self-awareness and general cultural knowledge so as to fit in the diverse workforce and have a positive impact on the organization. Companies especially the multinationals should ensure that they increase cultural diversity awareness and minimize or eliminate cases of ethnocentrism. Cultural diversity is the where different cultures are incorporated and different individuals from diverse cultures work together, whereas ethnocentrism can be defined the belief that one’s culture is better or superior than the other. A competent employee is capable of accepting criticism, listening carefully, and setting realistic goals among others (Verrecchia and Kirsten 312). This is also the best way to ensure that foreign employees develop their competencies, relate positively with their colleagues and perform their duties effectively. Having a global mind is very crucial and so organizations need to ensure that their employees are globally competent. Generally, global mindset and competency involves being experienced in multicultural environments, being flexible and able to adapt to unfamiliar and difficult situations. Also it entails international awareness, knowledge and understanding from a broader perspective. Foreign employees should be capable of effectively communicating across cultural and linguistic boundaries without experiencing any difficulty. They need to have a mindset which appreciates and respects other individuals’ cultures. Ideally, foreign employees can adapt to other cultures and improve the management of organization through cultural awareness and by having the ability to resolve ethical dilemmas. Notably, cultural awareness recognizes that everyone is shaped by their cultural background and that individuals’ cultures significantly influence how they perceive and interpret themselves, the world around them and how they relate with other people. Cultural awareness assists foreign employees to explore cultural issues that affect relationships in organizations as well as the operation of the organization. Therefore, foreign employees can successfully manage multicultural organizations when they are culturally aware and sensitive about other people’s cultures. More so, foreign employees need to have certain attributes including stress tolerance, rational ability, and communicational ability among others, and the ability to deal with stressful situations is necessary, and this quality positively relates to their performance in diverse workforce. Additionally, they need to have rational ability and this refers to the ability to effectively interact with a diverse group of individuals and develop close relationships especially with individuals from other cultures. Moreover, other qualities such as cross cultural capabilities and having a global mindset and global leadership contribute significantly in predicting good adjustment. Other necessary qualities and skills that foreign employees should posses to help them develop their competencies include inquisitiveness, self-confidence, cultural sensitivity, positive outlook towards diversity, and appreciation to diversity among others. Employees need to be inquisitive so as to generate more information that would help them perform their duties in a more effective manner. They also have to confident in when interacting or performing their duties as this will increased their competencies. Being cultural sensitive and having a positive perspective of diversity is very essential in competency development. This is because appreciating cultural diversity enables employees to have knowledge and understanding of different cultures, their languages, and interact freely and positively with others in the organization. In conclusion, competency is very crucial in any organization given the competitive nature of the business world today. Generally, competencies refer to the abilities, skills and qualities that result in superior performance of employees at work. Organizations need to ensure that their employees acquire the right abilities, skills and behaviors that will enable them to increase their performance at work. The development of employees’ competencies assists organizations to enhance the employability of employees and increase the level of job satisfaction. the competencies of foreign employees can be developed to achieve the organizational goals and this can be made possible through integrating training and development; career management; shared responsibility and support from the organization, cross-cultural association and educating them about different languages and diverse cultures among others. All in all, organizations should consider putting various initiatives in place so as to stimulate employee competency development because competent employees significantly contribute to the increased performance and productivity in an organization. Works Cited Cooper, Ken. Effective Competency Modeling & Reporting: A Step-by-Step Guide for Improving Individual & Organizational Performance. New York: AMACOM, 2000. Print. Cox, Taylor, and Ruby L. 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Oct 15 1996.  Velde, Christine. International Perspectives on Competence in the Workplace: Implications for Research, Policy and Practice. Dordrecht: Springer, 2009. Print. Verrecchia, P. J., and Kirsten L. Hutzell. "Exploring Competency Development: Its The Helping Part." Contemporary Justice Review 13.3 (2010): 307-319. Read More