Assessing Managers for International Competence

How do you select staff for international assignments? It's an important question because, no matter how effective and successful your employees may be at home, they cannot be guaranteed the same performance in a different culture-unless, that is, they can demonstrate some key competencies. But beware, these may be quite different from the competencies they need to succeed in their own environment.

To begin with they need to be receptive to the host culture. This will mean that when they face new ideas, new ways of working, new people, different values-they can accept these as different, but still valid. If they go with the firm belief that their own way of doing things is the only way, if they are suspicious of the new people they meet, and if they cannot respect the values of their host culture, they will simply engender hostility, fear and antagonism-hardly the best climate for a successful team effort.

Building on that receptiveness, they will have to be sufficiently adaptable to blend into the local style of doing things. Take working hours. Mediterranean cultures often have early starts, long lunch breaks and late finishes. It's a timetable that takes some getting used to because that lunchtime break really does need to be a time when you wind down and rest, otherwise the working day and its related stresses will occupy every waking minute. Not everybody is capable of adapting their natural rhythms to this. Employees with family commitments in particular find it very hard, so in assessing the suitability of somebody for an overseas position, you need to ensure that their family too is fully supportive of the move.

It is also essential to be able to take an objective view of the host culture and not to judge new colleagues on criteria you have brought from home. For example, a manager who moves to a culture in which the normal working environment is very hierarchical should not be surprised if individuals lack initiative. What may seem a negative quality from a British perspective could well be seen as a strength in the local context.

Given that the new environment could make your managers feel like fish out of water, it is important for them to have clarity of vision. As they face the many hurdles that arise from the different ways of working and living that characterize the new environment, they will have to be able keep a hold on their purpose for being there. They will need to let that vision drive their actions so that progress towards the required goals is maintained despite the obstacles. And part of this clarity of vision should be pre-assignment awareness of the new culture and its framework so that they are prepared for what they will find and have thought of some coping strategies.

They will also need excellent communication skills. These involve the ability to listen and interpret any implicit messages that their new colleagues may be emitting, and give directions with clarity and with respect for the means of communicating in the host culture. Of course, communicative skills are important no matter where you are, but they are crucial in a new culture. If the manager goes from Britain, say, to a Scandinavian country, it will be important to remember that the local team may be much more direct in their expression of criticism, say, than in the UK. Conversely, it will be important not to use typically British understatement or irony because, the more direct style of the hosts will predispose them to interpret everything literally.

They will need to be sensitive to the customs, motives and values of their new colleagues. They will only be able to achieve their goals by building good rapport with the local team and this can only come in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. Of course rapport can be established in many different ways, but it essential to show an interest in the host culture and in the local team. As the outsider it is important not to offend by flouting local dress code, being over familiar-or too distant, as the case may be-or showing impatience with aspects of behaviour that are in keeping with local tradition.

Resilience and emotional robustness are also important. The period of settling in will involve what is known as culture shock. This involves some key stages, the second of which puts a big strain on both physical and emotional strength. To begin with your managers will go through a honeymoon period in which all the new experiences are exciting and stimulating. But this is followed by a period of disorientation during which homesickness, loneliness, frustration and disillusionment with the host culture will cause a great deal of stress. To be able to pass through this to the stage of acceptance requires considerable inner strength.

Of course underpinning all these competencies is knowledge. The managers need two kinds of knowledge to be effective abroad. Firstly they need to understand the theory of culture difference. Culture goes very deep and the unfamiliar behaviour patterns are the external signs of underlying values. It will help your managers if they understand the nature of these different cultural values. Then they should have country specific knowledge that prepares them for what they will find. This should, of course, include training in the local language not just for the person concerned but for their family.

Brenda Townsend Hall is a writer and trainer in the field of cultural awareness and English for business and is an associate member of the ITAP International Alliance: http://www.itapintl.com

---

Innovation Management ? Six Crucial Steps

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More

Preventative Maintenance of Company Delivery Vehicles

If you have company delivery vehicles at your small or medium sized business you should have a preventative maintenance schedule and procedures for employees who are drivers... Read More

Million Dollar Support System For You and For Your Business

Whether you are a consultant, coach, business owner, doctor, professional, corporate elite or student, whatever your profession is, moving towards your dream requires taking courageous steps. Making... Read More

Take The Guesswork Out Of Problem Solving

In today's chaotic world and uncertain economic times too many good people are burdened by too many problems that seem insurmountable and too many businesses find it... Read More

Learn to Assert Yourself

Pinpoint your own blocks to assertiveness: fear of disapproval, need to please others, fear of being too masculine or feminine, or the dread of making mistakes.Visualize yourself... Read More

Manage Your Time - Save Your Business.

If you work from home, chances are you already know that you're really pulling "double duty". You probably work on your business while doing the laundry, corralling... Read More

Is Your Management Style Assisting or Hurting Your Business?

Many times business owners can have significant differences in management styles that can deter the growth of both the employees and the business.Employees can have differing needs... Read More

The Measurement of Manager Training

THE MEASUREMENT OF TRAINING: Evaluation is one of the most valuable - and challenging - aspects of a training manager's job. A well-planned and on-target evaluation process... Read More

What are Your Best Practices?

Best Practices StudiesThese studies can be defined as inquiries into the skills and methods of your high performers to recognize their achievements, document their methods and skills... Read More

Structure Your Payment Offers to Sell More Products

The way you structure your payment offers can increase your sales. I'm not talking about the way people pay like credit cards, digital payments, checks, and cash... Read More

Deciding What to Delegate

DECIDING WHAT TO DELEGATE: Once the benefits of delegation are established and obstacles removed, the next step in the delegation process is to decide what work can... Read More

Narcissism in the Boardroom

The perpetrators of the recent spate of financial frauds in the USA acted with callous disregard for both their employees and shareholders - not to mention other... Read More

Selecting a Business Broker or Intermediary to Help You Sell Your Business

As crazy as it seems, some people spend more time choosing a coffee machine than they do selecting the business broker or intermediary that will sell their... Read More

Involving People Gave Us the Improvements We Needed

We had a problem with handling materials in a production department. Our process required raw materials to enter the department, be processed, and leave the department. The... Read More

Saying ?No? Gracefully to Customers and Colleagues

Envision the scenario: You've just been asked at the last minute by Chris, the organizer of your local networking group, to replace the scheduled speaker at next... Read More

Performance Appraisal Scenarios: Improve Your Communication

IMPROVING COMMUNICATION DURING THE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL: If the employee has trouble getting started on the self-appraisal you might say: "Why don't you start by talking about the... Read More

More Computer Consulting 101 Hiring Tips (Part 2 of 2)

Does your company need to retain the services of a competent computer consulting firm, but you have no idea how to really evaluate "competence"? In the first... Read More

Future Business Success - What Does Good Look Like?

When you know you need to shift up a gear, in any area of your business (or your life for that matter), it's really important to have... Read More

A Leadership Screw Driver: The 90 Day Improvement Plan

I was talking with first-line supervisors in a utility company about how to deal with poor performing employees."You've gotta put the screws to him!" suggested one supervisor... Read More

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Reduce the High Cost of Employee Absenteeism

Employers pay a high price for absenteeism, often more than they may realize, in terms of both financial and production losses and employee morale. Managers may view... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Adapting Human Resource Functions

This article relates to the human resource functions competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. It deals with employee feelings with regard to the quality and implementation... Read More

Meaningful Diversity: Creating Cultures of Inclusion

In the fitness room the other day, I caught a glimpse of a movie trailer on television. A father spoke very open-heartedly with his son about his... Read More

Change Management

"It is not the strongest species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change". -Charles DarwinThe world today is changing faster than ever... Read More

The Comfort Zone

The Comfort Zone I have a friend named Gene, a serial entrepreneur who currently runs a software business. Like many people,... Read More

To Meet or Not to Meet - What are the Questions?

Meetings can be a total waste of time or a powerful and productive communication tool that solve problems, stimulate ideas, promote team spirit and generate action. The... Read More

Problem Solving

When problem solving, you may recognize that you were working on a symptom instead of the problem. An analysis of the more clearly defined problem may require... Read More