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Delivering A Successful International Assignment

Anne morris.

9 October 2019

IN THIS SECTION

8 minute read
Last updated: 9th October 2019

Organisations deploy personnel on international assignment for many reasons. Whether you are addressing an internal skills gaps, supporting leadership development or looking to improve working relations across borders, for any international assignment to be successful, there will be a multitude of legal, immigration, tax and pensions risks to manage when sending employees overseas.

This article covers:

International assignment objectives, international assignment structures, employment law.

Immigration options

Assignee remuneration

Professional support for international assignments.

Global mobility programmes have traditionally been developed with a uniform approach, driven largely by cost management and operational efficiencies. However, organisations are increasingly taking a more flexible and bespoke approach to overseas assignments in order to attain advantage in areas such as compliance and talent development and retention.

While a one-size-fits-all approach to the fundamentals of mobility management may be a commercial reality, overlaying this should be areas of specific consideration and capability that can be adapted to the specific needs and risks of each international assignment. This allows for greater focus on the assignment’s commercial objectives and the agility to respond to the organisation’s changing global mobility needs .

From the outset of any successful assignment project, there should be clarity of objectives. Why as an organisation is the decision being made to invest in sending an employee to perform services in a different country?

International assignments can offer value in many areas, many of which typically present in the longer-term.

Internal knowledge transfer is a common assignment objective to address talent or skills shortages within overseas regions. Deploying key talent with specialist knowledge and skills to train and upskill local team members can help to resolve local labour or skill supply issues. The cost/benefit analysis can explore potential missed opportunities or delays resulting from shortages in the local talent market.

International assignments are also highly effective in building relationships and improving intercultural working. This could be relationships within an organisation, with local clients and intermediaries or local authorities. Face to face interaction remains highly effective and valuable in building influence on the ground and can offer significant potential for advantage over competitors.

Beyond relationships, value is also created in the knowledge gained by assignees working overseas, from insight into local customs and culture, improved language capability and a general understanding of how business is ‘done’ within the region and helping to adapt organisational protocol to suit the local environment. Combined with the assignee’s existing market and organisational knowledge, they can offer a global perspective with local details, bringing considerable potential to build competitive differentiation.

With clarity of objective, you can then consider whether an international assignment is the most appropriate solution . Is it possible to hire or promote locally? Would multiple, shorter trips be as effective in performance terms but with lower cost implications? International assignments demand significant investment and it will be important to assess cost projections against expected return and value to the organisation.

As well as clarity of objectives, a successful international assignment also requires clarity of contractual terms, both to manage the expectations and understanding of the assignee, and also for the mobility team to identify support needs and potential risks.

Now more than ever, organisations are developing portfolios of mobility programmes to enable an agile approach to global mobility that responds to the organisation’s changing needs for international personnel mobility. Assignments come in increasingly different shapes and sizes, from permanent relocations or temporary exchanges, secondments or transfers to a different region or to a different organisation.

While organisations demand greater flexibility and agility from their global mobility programmes, underpinning the activity should be an appropriate assignment structure with a supporting contractual agreement that enables compliance with regulatory and legal duties.

When considering which structure to adopt, organisations will need to consider a range of factors including the type of assignment and the relevant environmental context such as regulatory, immigration, employment law, tax, pension implications.

For international assignments, where the employee is moving from the home country employer to a host country employer, the employer could consider a number of assignment structures, including:

The employee continues to be employed solely by the home employer.
The employment contract with the home employer is suspended for the duration of the assignment while the employee enters into a new employment contract with the host employer .
The employment contract with the home employer is terminated with a promise of re-employment at the end of the assignment while the employee enters into a new employment contract with the host employer .
The employment contract with the home employer is suspended and the employee enters into a contract with an international assignment company (IAC) within the employer group
The employment contract with the home employer is suspended and the employee enters into a contract with both an IAC and the host country employer.
The employee remains resident in the home country and works in a host country under a commuter assignment.

Each type of assignment structure offers advantages and disadvantages which should be considered in light of the individual assignment. For example:

Do employment laws in the host country require the assignee to be employed by a local entity?
Would the assignee be agreeable to ending their home country contract and starting a new agreement with a new entity in the host country?
Are there terms in the home country contract that would need protecting in any new agreement, such as restrictive covenants?
Which jurisdiction would prevail, the host or home country?
How would local laws interpret a situation where there is no contract of employment with the employer in the host country?
Issues such as income and corporate tax, pension and employment rights and responsibilities will need to be identified and assessed against the specific assignment objectives and budget and the assignee profile and circumstances.

Employment law implications come hand-in-hand with selecting an appropriate assignment structure.

Home-country employment contracts for employees on assignment from the UK to an overseas jurisdiction should generally be interpreted under the laws of England and Wales. If a host country contract is used, there should be specific provision in the agreement to determine which jurisdiction would prevail. However, neither position is guaranteed, for example where issues of domicile arise which may supersede any contractual provisions. Again the need is to assess on an individual assignment basis.

As well as explicit contractual considerations, employers should also be aware of any statutory rights or implied terms under UK law that may continue to apply even in the host country.

Specific provisions may also need to be made to ensure confidentiality and appropriate handling of commercial and sensitive information. While this may be standard or expected for senior employees, those on assignment should also be considered for such terms relevant to the type of assignment and the commercial objectives of the project.

Immigration options

Successful international assignments will invariably require careful consideration of the immigration requirements. Governments across the globe are adopting increasingly protectionist stances towards economic migrants, as policies seek to favour domestic workers. This means business travellers and visa holders are now facing greater scrutiny when applying for work visas and when trying to gain entry at the border.

Visa options and criteria vary between countries and are subject to frequent change. Where permission is required for the assignee to work in the host country, it will be important to ensure the assignee applies for the most appropriate route to meet the assignment need, whether that is a work permit or a business visitor visa. The immigration requirements and options will be determined in most part by the rules of the home and host countries, the nationality of the assignee (and any of their dependants who will be joining them overseas) and the nature of the activities the assignee intends to perform during their time in the host country.

For example, a British citizen may be eligible to travel to the US to attend sales meetings and work conferences for up to 90 days without having to apply for a visa but to conduct ‘gainful employment’ they would need to look at a specific work visa, such as the L-1 visa for intracompany transfers.

A further factor will be the specific requirements of the visa or permit. Work visas, for example, may require sponsorship of the employee by a local entity with valid sponsor status. The application process for work visas are typically resource-intensive and in many cases will require the employer to provide compelling evidence as to why the role or work cannot be performed by a worker resident in the host country.

Preparation will, therefore, be critical, ensuring there is sufficient time to consider the relevant immigration options in light of local rules, and to then make the required application. Complications may also arise where the employee does not meet certain requirements under the local rules, for example if they have a past criminal conviction or negative immigration record. This will require careful handling and, depending on the host country’s rules, may require submission of a visa waiver to explain the issue and provide assurances of the employee’s eligibility by requesting a discretionary decision on the application.

Relocation packages are typically the biggest expense associated with an international assignment. While cost control will remain a concern, it is important for employers to ensure they are offering packages that are competitive within the market and that the package will support both the commercial objective of the assignment and compliance with associated legal and tax risks.

Home-based packages remain common, including those which may be markedly above local market compensation levels, particularly in circumstanecs where the assignment need is business-critical.

It may be possible however to look at offering a lower package than the home-based option, by either localising the package to harmonise with host nation levels or to develop a ‘local-plus’ offering that maintains a degree of competition, but this can be challenging to apply consistently across all assignment types and locations.

Again, consideration should be given to the individual assignment and the assignee. Millennial workers for example are generally understood to value international experience and the remuneration package may not be their primary concern where the opportunity for overseas exposure is available.

For organisations with a substantial cohort of international assignees and travellers, it may be more appropriate to build a compensation scheme specifically for globally-mobile personnel.

Importantly, assignees who will remain under an employment contract in their home country may continue to be subject to home country payroll while on assignment. This will also enable pension and benefits to be offered in the same way through the home country. Taxation, however, raises more complex issues, for example where withholding rules apply in the host country. This will require specialist guidance to ensure tax liabilities in the home and host country are correctly managed and met withiin the appropriate timeframes.

International assignments are demanding on the employer and the employee, but have become critical given the business imperatives to meet talent and development needs and achieve competitive advantage .

Employers should not lose sight of the need to understand the specific risks of each individual assignment, which increasingly demand bespoke solutions. While compliance , efficiencies and cost control should be underpinned by a solid global mobility infrastructure of policies, systems and procedures, the current shift is away from a uniform approach to assignment management, instead moving towards more agile management of each assignment, shaped by the specific assignment objectives, budget and risks in relation to immigration, tax, remuneration and employment law.

DavidsonMorris’ specialist global mobility consultants provide expert guidance to employers on all aspects of international assignments, from programme management and implementation to strategic consultancy to ensure value and return on the mobility investment. We understand the commercial drivers behind mobilising workers and the need to ensure compliance without impacting return on mobility investment.

We work with senior management teams, HR and mobility professionals to develop strategies that ensure effective compliance risk management while supporting delivery of the organisation’s global mobility objectives. For advice on making the most of international assignments, speak to us .

Founder and Managing Director Anne Morris is a fully qualified solicitor and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.

She is a recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers as a legal expert and delivers Board-level advice on business migration and compliance risk management as well as overseeing the firm’s development of new client propositions and delivery of cost and time efficient processing of applications.

Anne is an active public speaker, immigration commentator , and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals

Anne Morris https://www.davidsonmorris.com/author/anne/ Government Responds to MAC Review into Graduate Route
Anne Morris https://www.davidsonmorris.com/author/anne/ Employment Case Law Update May 2024
Anne Morris https://www.davidsonmorris.com/author/anne/ Updated Absence Rule for EU Settled and Pre Settled Status Holders
Anne Morris https://www.davidsonmorris.com/author/anne/ Switching from Pre Settled to Settled Status

About DavidsonMorris

As employer solutions lawyers, DavidsonMorris offers a complete and cost-effective capability to meet employers’ needs across UK immigration and employment law, HR and global mobility .

Led by Anne Morris, one of the UK’s preeminent immigration lawyers, and with rankings in The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners , we’re a multi-disciplinary team helping organisations to meet their people objectives, while reducing legal risk and nurturing workforce relations.

Legal Disclaimer

The matters contained in this article are intended to be for general information purposes only. This article does not constitute legal advice, nor is it a complete or authoritative statement of the law, and should not be treated as such. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information is correct at the time of writing, no warranty, express or implied, is given as to its accuracy and no liability is accepted for any error or omission. Before acting on any of the information contained herein, expert legal advice should be sought.

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5 Tips for Managing Successful Overseas Assignments

Andy Molinsky
Melissa Hahn

Stay in constant touch and have a plan for their return.

Sending talented employees overseas can be a promising way to leverage the benefits of a global economy. But expatriate assignments can be extremely expensive: up to three times the cost of a person’s typical annual salary, according to some statistics. And despite the investment, many organizations lack the know-how for optimizing the potential benefits, leaving them disappointed with the results. The unfortunate reality is that even companies providing well-crafted relocation packages (including the all-important cultural training) may not have the talent management mechanisms in place to truly leverage the valuable skills expatriate employees gain during their assignments.

Andy Molinsky is a professor of Organizational Behavior and International Management at Brandeis University and the author of Global Dexterity , Reach , and Forging Bonds in a Global Workforce . Connect with him on LinkedIn and download his free e-booklet of 7 myths about working effectively across cultures .
Melissa Hahn teaches intercultural communication at American University’s School of International Service. Her new book, Forging Bonds in a Global Workforce (McGraw Hill), helps global professionals build effective relationships across cultures.

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10 Tips for Managing Successful International Assignments

20 Apr / 2021 | By TMA World

International assignments can be one of the most rewarding and life-changing experiences in an individual’s career. Yet international assignments are expensive for the employer – and a surprisingly high number of them fail. There are various reasons for this, but culture shock, failure of the employee to perform in their new post and dissatisfaction with the assignment itself are cited as common causes. How can you best prepare employees for international assignments – and help them make the assignment a success? Here are some tips.

1. Make a business case for international assignments

Sending an employee to live and work overseas is expensive. Is there a case for doing this? Would a local hire be better, or is there absolutely nobody else for the job? If there is nobody locally, does the individual have the right skills and mindset? Are they open to living and working in different cultures? What benefit will their overseas experience bring to the company when they return?

2. Consider the individual’s position

Employers need to be sensitive to personal situations when considering sending someone overseas. Posting an LGBTQ individual to, say, a conservative Muslim country is not impossible, but requires serious consideration and extra support. The same applies to an employee’s partner and family; is there anything that might put them at risk in the new destination?

3. Manage expectations

Employees need to be prepared for the fact that life during international assignments will be different, and not necessarily glamorous and exotic. There will be cultural barriers to overcome, as well as homesickness and culture shock to deal with. Families and spouses need to be prepared for the changes. New relationships will need to be built in the workplace and a new structure fitted into. Going with realistic expectations is better than plunging into international assignments unprepared, and having it turn out to be a disappointment.

4. Prepare for cultural immersion

Embarking on a programme of cross-cultural training is invaluable before taking up international assignments; individuals learn to understand their own mindset and prejudices as well as what to expect in the new culture. There are less formal ways to prepare, too. Would-be assignees for international posts could should be encouraged to build up a picture of the new culture by reading literature, newspapers and blogs. They should listen to podcasts and even watch movies to put together the jigsaw of everyday life in the new place.

5. Arrange mentoring schemes

A cross-cultural mentor might be a colleague in the new office, or a co-worker who is in the destination, or has experience of it. Ideally, new expat workers should have a mentor in the new destination and one at home; it is very easy for expatriates to feel cut adrift from the familiarity of their old office and colleagues. Typical discussion points with a mentor might include management style, hierarchy, gender issues, meeting etiquette, negotiating and decision making. Essentially, though, a mentor should be a sounding board on whom the expat can rely when problems crop up.

6. Encourage a positive attitude

Even having a few simple memos and pointers can help newly landed expats through difficult times. Learning not to compare their old culture with the new one; remembering that the new culture is different but not necessarily wrong; understanding different approaches to time management; and starting out with the basic assumption that people in the new culture are friendly and welcoming, even if there are hiccups in communicating with them. This is all part of cross-cultural communication training.

7. Offer language training

Even if English is the international language of business, and even if English is the language of the workplace in the new country, a basic conversational command of the destination language will go a long way towards integrating into society and overcoming culture shock. This is important for trailing spouses, too; culture shock can be even worse for a spouse who has less structure to their day and lacks the confidence to build a life of their own.

8. Keep communication focused

Mentoring aside, a company should have a formal reporting scheme while the employee is abroad on assignment. Checking in regularly is the best way to stay appraised of how the assignment is progressing, what new ideas and useful information have been picked up, and dealing with any problems before they escalate. Companies should make the most of the assignee’s time abroad by encouraging them to share their experiences – by blogging, for example, or participating in video conferences.

9. Provide support for sufferers of culture shock

Culture shock is a serious condition; it can lead to depression, a sense of isolation and even illness. Almost everybody suffers from culture shock in some way. Most people get through it but some fail to adapt, feeling lonely, resenting the new culture, maintaining an illusion that everything back home is superior. Acknowledging culture shock and finding small ways to deal with it should all be part of preparation for life abroad, for example, working to establish a network of friends, both expats and people from the new culture; keeping busy; and making an effort as a family to explore the new culture; visiting markets, trying out restaurants and arranging enjoyable activities for weekends, like a trip to the beach. Craving the comforts of home is not wrong; it’s normal.

10. Remember that reintegrating is just as important

Many of these issues apply to the end of international assignments. A posting abroad can be a life-changing experience and it’s not uncommon for individuals to return home with new skills and ambitions to find that they are different – and that their old friends, colleagues and workplace have changed, too. Some of the positives of an overseas posting are increased confidence, a broader world view, better empathy and more creativity when it comes to problem solving. Employers need to harness these new qualities, not just expect the individual to slot back in. Preparation should be made several months before an assignee returns. What new skills do they have? How do they see themselves fitting in? What opportunities might be available for them? Fail to prepare and the chances are, they’ll take their new skills elsewhere.

Our blended learning solutions ensures your global travelers, international assignees and their families will be successful. Our learning process can be fully adapted to suit the needs of your organization. Our training is delivered across coaching sessions, instructor led training and online learning pathways. Click here to read our brochure for more information .

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Intercultural and International Business Communication

The international assignment, learning objectives.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Describe how to prepare for an international assignment.
Discuss the acculturation process as an expatriate.
Describe effective strategies for living and working abroad.

Suppose you have the opportunity to work or study in a foreign country. You may find the prospect of an international assignment intriguing, challenging, or even frightening; indeed, most professionals employed abroad will tell you they pass through all three stages at some point during the assignment. They may also share their sense of adjustment, even embrace of their host culture, and the challenges of reintegration into their native country.

An international assignment, whether as a student or a career professional, requires work and preparation, and should be given the time and consideration of any major life change. When you lose a loved one, it takes time to come to terms with the loss. When someone you love is diagnosed with a serious illness, the news may take some time to sink in. When a new baby enters your family, a period of adjustment is predictable and prolonged. All these major life changes can stress an individual beyond their capacity to adjust. Similarly, in order to be a successful “expat,” or expatriate, one needs to prepare mentally and physically for the change.

International business assignments are a reflection of increased global trade, and as trade decreases, they may become an expensive luxury. As technology allows for instant face-to-face communication, and group collaboration on documents via cloud computing and storage, the need for physical travel may be reduced. But regardless of whether your assignment involves relocation abroad, supervision of managers in another country at a distance, or supervision by a foreign manager, you will need to learn more about the language, culture, and customs that are not your own. You will need to compare and contrast, and seek experiences that lend insight, in order to communicate more effectively.

An efficient, effective manager in any country is desirable, but one with international experience even more so. You will represent your company and they will represent you, including a considerable financial investment, either by your employer (in the case of a professional assignment) or by whoever is financing your education (in the case of studying abroad). That investment should not be taken lightly. As many as 40 percent of foreign-assigned employees terminate their assignments early, Tu, H., & Sullivan, S. (1994). Business horizons . Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1038/is_nl_v37/ai_14922926 at a considerable cost to their employers. Of those that remain, almost 50 percent are less than effective. Tu, H., & Sullivan, S. (1994). Business horizons . Retrieved from FindArticles.com: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1038/is_nl_v37/ai_14922926

Preparation

With this perspective in mind, let’s discuss how to prepare for the international assignment and strategies to make you a more effective professional as a stranger in a strange land. First we’ll dispel a couple of myths associated with an idealized or romantic view of living abroad. Next we’ll examine traits and skills of the successful expatriate. Finally, we’ll examine culture shock and the acculturation process.

Your experience with other cultures may have come firsthand, but for most, a foreign location like Paris is an idea formed from exposure to images via the mass media. Paris may be known for its art, as a place for lovers, or as a great place to buy bread. But if you have only ever known about a place through the lens of a camera, you have only seen the portraits designed and portrayed by others. You will lack the multidimensional view of one who lives and works in Paris, and even if you are aware of its history, its economic development, or its recent changes, these are all academic observations until the moment of experience.

That is not to say that research does not form a solid foundation in preparation for an international assignment, but it does reinforce the distinction between a media-fabricated ideal and real life. Awareness of this difference is an important step as you prepare yourself for life in a foreign culture.

If the decision is yours to make, take your time. If others are involved, and family is a consideration, you should take even more care with this important decision. Residence abroad requires some knowledge of the language, an ability to adapt, and an interest in learning about different cultures. If family members are not a part of the decision, or lack the language skills or interest, the assignment may prove overwhelming and lead to failure. Sixty-four percent of expatriate respondents who terminated their assignment early indicated that family concerns were the primary reason. Contreras, C. D. (2009). Should you accept the international assignment? BNET . Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5350/is_200308/ai_n21334696

Points to consider include the following:

How flexible are you?
Do you need everything spelled out or can you go with the flow?
Can you adapt to new ways of doing business?
Are you interested in the host culture and willing to dedicate the time and put forth the effort to learn more about it?
What has been your experience to date working with people from distinct cultures?
What are your language skills at present, and are you interested in learning a new language?
Is your family supportive of the assignment?
How will it affect your children’s education? Your spouse’s career? Your career?
Will this assignment benefit your family?
How long are you willing to commit to the assignment?
What resources are available to help you prepare, move, and adjust?
Can you stand being out of the loop, even if you are in daily written and oral communication with the home office?
What is your relationship with your employer, and can it withstand the anticipated stress and tension that will result as not everything goes according to plan?
Is the cultural framework of your assignment similar to—or unlike—your own, and how ready are you to adapt to differences in such areas as time horizon, masculinity versus femininity, or direct versus indirect styles of communication?

This list of questions could continue, and feel free to add your own as you explore the idea of an international assignment. An international assignment is not like a domestic move or reassignment. Within the same country, even if there are significantly different local customs in place, similar rules, laws, and ways of doing business are present. In a foreign country, you will lose those familiar traditions and institutions and have to learn many new ways of accomplishing your given tasks. What once took a five-minute phone call may now take a dozen meetings and a month to achieve, and that may cause you some frustration. It may also cause your employer frustration as you try to communicate how things are done locally, and why results are not immediate, as they lack even your limited understanding of your current context. Your relationship with your employer will experience stress, and your ability to communicate your situation will require tact and finesse.

Successful expatriates are adaptable, open to learning new languages, cultures, and skilled at finding common ground for communication. Rather than responding with frustration, they learn the new customs and find the advantage to get the job done. They form relationships and are not afraid to ask for help when it is warranted or required. They feel secure in their place as explorer, and understand that mistakes are a given, even as they are unpredictable. Being a stranger is no easy task, but they welcome the challenge with energy and enthusiasm.

Acculturation Process

Acculturation , or the transition to living abroad, is often described as an emotional rollercoaster. Steven Rhinesmith Rhinesmith, S. (1984). Returning home . Ottawa, Canada: Canadian Bureau for International Education. provides ten steps that show the process of acculturation, including culture shock, that you may experience:

Initial anxiety
Initial elation
Initial culture shock
Superficial adjustment
Depression-frustration
Acceptance of host culture
Return anxiety
Return elation
Reentry shock
Reintegration

Humans fear the unknown, and even if your tolerance for uncertainty is high, you may experience a degree of anxiety in anticipation of your arrival. At first the “honeymoon” period is observed, with a sense of elation at all the newfound wonders. You may adjust superficially at first, learning where to get familiar foods or new ways to meet your basic needs. As you live in the new culture, divergence will become a trend and you’ll notice many things that frustrate you. You won’t anticipate the need for two hours at a bank for a transaction that once took five minutes, or could be handled over the Internet, and find that businesses close during midday, preventing you from accomplishing your goals. At this stage, you will feel that living in this new culture is simply exhausting. Many expats advise that this is the time to tough it out—if you give in to the temptation to make a visit back home, you will only prolong your difficult adjustment.

Over time, if you persevere, you will come to accept and adjust to your host culture, and learn how to accomplish your goals with less frustration and ease. You may come to appreciate several cultural values or traits and come to embrace some aspects of your host culture. At some point, you will need to return to your first, or home, culture, but that transition will bring a sense of anxiety. People and places change, the familiar is no longer so familiar, and you too have changed. You may once again be elated at your return and the familiar, and experience a sense of comfort in home and family, but culture shock may again be part of your adjustment. You may look at your home culture in a new way and question things that are done in a particular way that you have always considered normal. You may hold onto some of the cultural traits you adopted while living abroad, and begin the process of reintegration.

The international assignment requires adaptability.

You may also begin to feel that the “grass is greener” in your host country, and long to return. Expatriates are often noted for “going native,” or adopting the host culture’s way of life, but even the most confirmed expats still gather to hear the familiar sound of their first language, and find community in people like themselves who have blended cultural boundaries on a personal level.

Living and Working Abroad

In order to learn to swim you have to get in the water, and all the research and preparation cannot take the place of direct experience. Your awareness of culture shock may help you adjust, and your preparation by learning some of the language will assist you, but know that living and working abroad take time and effort. Still, there are several guidelines that can serve you well as you start your new life in a strange land:

Be open and creative . People will eat foods that seem strange or do things in a new way, and your openness and creativity can play a positive role in your adjustment. Staying close to your living quarters or surrounding yourself with similar expats can limit your exposure to and understanding of the local cultures. While the familiar may be comfortable, and the new setting may be uncomfortable, you will learn much more about your host culture and yourself if you make the effort to be open to new experiences. Being open involves getting out of your comfort zone.
Be self-reliant . Things that were once easy or took little time may now be challenging or consume your whole day. Focus on your ability to resolve issues, learn new ways to get the job done, and be prepared to do new things.
Keep a balanced perspective . Your host culture isn’t perfect. Humans aren’t perfect, and neither was your home culture. Each location and cultural community has strengths you can learn from if you are open to them.
Be patient . Take your time, and know a silent period is normal. The textbook language classes only provide a base from which you will learn how people who live in the host country actually communicate. You didn’t learn to walk in a day and won’t learn to successfully navigate this culture overnight either.
Be a student and a teacher . You are learning as the new member of the community, but as a full member of your culture, you can share your experiences as well.
Be an explorer . Get out and go beyond your boundaries when you feel safe and secure. Traveling to surrounding villages, or across neighboring borders, can expand your perspective and help you learn.
Protect yourself . Always keep all your essential documents, money, and medicines close to you, or where you know they will be safe. Trying to source a medicine in a country where you are not fluent in the language, or where the names of remedies are different, can be a challenge. Your passport is essential to your safety and you need to keep it safe. You may also consider vaccination records, birth certificates, or business documents in the same way, keeping them safe and accessible. You may want to consider a “bug-out bag,” with all the essentials you need, including food, water, keys, and small tools, as an essential part of planning in case of emergency.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Research one organization in a business or industry that relates to your major and has an international presence. Find a job announcement or similar document that discusses the business and its international activities. Share and compare with classmates.
Conduct a search on expat networks including online forum. Briefly describe your findings and share with classmates.
What would be the hardest part of an overseas assignment for you and why? What would be the easiest part of an overseas assignment for you and why?
Find an advertisement for an international assignment. Note the qualifications, and share with classmates.
Find an article or other first-person account of someone’s experience on an international assignment. Share your results with your classmates.
Communication For Business Success. Authored by : anonymous. Located at : http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/communication-for-business-success/ . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

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7 Strategies for a Successful International Work Assignment

Published: Oct 08, 2018

International assignments are exciting for a host of reasons, but having the opportunity to live in another country while finding success in your career at the same time is particularly compelling. Working abroad allows you to gain real-world experience, advance the skills you have, and learn how to thrive in a global environment.

But living and working in a new country with a different culture is a major life change. It’s important to immerse yourself in the experience and remain positive through the ups and downs. Below are 7 tips to make the most of your journey abroad.

1. Keep an Open Mind

Social media and the internet allows us to connect with people from all over the world. Take time to learn about the history of your new home, including any local customs or laws, so you can set more realistic expectations ahead of time.

When you finally touch down in your new destination, keep an open mind. What you think you know about an area or country may end up being turned on its head once you spend more than a few days there.

For Allison Alexander, a participant in Abbott’s Finance Professional Development Program , an international assignment was the ultimate lesson in flexibility. “Going to an international role means you’re stepping into a culture and a set of expectations that are foreign to you,” she explains. “It forces you to be open to the unexpected.”

Unlike traveling for leisure, international assignments allow you to spend months or even years in a location. You can, and should, tap into the global mindset you’ve already developed while leaving room for all the surprises that will come from long-term exposure to a different culture.

2. Set Goals

Maximize the benefits of an international assignment by setting goals for yourself at the beginning. What do you hope to accomplish in the first two weeks? How can you challenge yourself once you’ve settled in? And when you leave, what are the skills you want to take with you? Having clearly defined milestones will help you stay focused on what’s important and define the steps needed to grow your career.

3. Develop Language Skills

You may not become fluent, but practicing the local language can help you build deeper connections within the community and potentially open up new work opportunities in the future. Don’t fret if you stumble through mispronunciations and tenses at first, the more you practice, the more confident you'll become, and the better you'll get.

4. Be Adventurous

When you're abroad, it's great to take advantage of travel. You have a new world at your doorstep! It's also a chance to try activities you've never tried before.

"I've been doing things I thought of all my life but could never muster enough courage to actually do," says Timir Gupta, another member of Abbott's Finance Professional Development Program, who has traveled solo, tried skydiving, and chased the northern lights. "And it's a great conversation starter during an interview," he adds.

5. Apply New Perspectives

Gaining insight into different business practices can help you learn to look at old problems in new ways when you return home. This type of creative problem solving will be an asset no matter what your next assignment is.

"When you finally make your way back to a domestic role, you've now become an expert in two completely different professional structures," says Alexander. "You've seen what works and what doesn't in a global setting, and you can lead the group on new ways of thinking that may lead to more success."

6. Expand Your Network

Get out and build connections, both at your assignment and beyond. "Because of traveling, I have friends all over the world," says Gupta. He now has connections across five continents that he can tap into when looking for a reference or career advice.

Luckily, maintaining the professional network you build abroad is now easier than ever before. Social media, LinkedIn, and apps like WhatsApp can help you stay in contact with your colleagues and mentors.

7. Market Yourself and Build Your Career

When you return home, don't forget to incorporate your experience into your personal branding. You want to make sure prospective employers know how your new skills, perspectives, and connections set you apart. Think: How can I rework my resume and reframe interview answers to showcase what I've learned?

Depending on your experience, you may even refocus your career or choose employers who will use your global mindset. If you want more opportunities to go abroad, many multinational organizations offer international assignments. With offices in more than 150 countries, Abbott has numerous internships and development programs for students in finance, information technology, engineering, manufacturing, environmental health, and quality assurance.

Look for companies expanding in emerging markets, too. This can give you the unique opportunity to get in at the ground level and learn how to evolve a product or service to match the local market.

No matter what you choose or where you go, an international assignment can provide you with the unique opportunity to grow personally and professionally—and hopefully have a little fun along the way too.

This post was sponsored by Abbott .

International Assignment Agreement

Jump to section, what is an international assignment agreement.

An international assignment agreement is a contract between an employer and employee that formally assigns the latter to a position in a foreign country. Several pieces of important information are contained within this contract, such as where the assignment is, how travel and lodging costs will be paid, how much the compensation is, and how long the assignment will last. It also lays out specific terms and conditions surrounding how to shorten or lengthen the assignment and what will take place if unforeseen circumstances occur, such as random acts of nature.

Common Sections in International Assignment Agreements

Below is a list of common sections included in International Assignment Agreements. These sections are linked to the below sample agreement for you to explore.

International Assignment Agreement Sample

Reference : Security Exchange Commission - Edgar Database, EX-10.10 25 dex1010.htm INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENT - JOHN TOWNSEND , Viewed September 16, 2022, View Source on SEC .

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I have been in practice since 1990 and practice in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. I am an experienced litigator and look forward to resolving your legal questions as efficiently as possible.

Hello! I am an Iowa native trying to bring some Midwest problem-solving to southern civil law. I thoroughly enjoy getting to know the individuals and businesses I assist. I practice estate planning and business formation and, with my litigation experience in mind, I help clients plan to ensure they and their interests are protected in the future.

Danielle G.

Danielle Giovannone is the principal of Danielle D. Giovannone Law Office. In her experience, Danielle has found that many business do not require in-house legal counsel, but still need outside counsel that knows their business just as well as in-house counsel. This need inspired Danielle to start her firm. Before starting her firm, Danielle served as Contracts Counsel at Siena College and as an attorney at the New York City Department of Education, Office of the General Counsel. At the NYCDOE, she served as lead counsel negotiating and drafting large-scale commercial agreements, including contracts with major technology firms on behalf of the school district. Prior to the NYCDOE, Danielle worked as an associate at a small corporate and securities law firm, where she gained hands-on experience right out of law school. Danielle has provided legal and policy advice on intellectual property and data privacy matters, as well as corporate law, formation and compliance, employer liability, insurance, regulatory matters, general municipal matters and non-profit issues. Danielle holds a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and a B.S. from Cornell University. She is active in her Capital District community providing pro bono services to the Legal Project, and has served as Co-Chair to the Niskayuna Co-op Nursery School and Vice President of Services to the Craig Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization. Danielle is a member of the New York State Bar Association.

Combining extensive experience in litigation and as general counsel for a real estate and private equity company, I provide ongoing guidance and support to clients on a variety of transactional matters, including business formation, partnership agreements, corporate agreements, commercial and residential leasing, and employment issues.

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Managing International Assignments: Compensation Approaches

A new international assignment landscape is challenging traditional compensation approaches

For many years, expatriate compensation has been focused on a dilemma: having assignees on expensive home-based expatriate package versus localization - which is about replacing expatriates with locals or at least transition expatriates from an expatriate package to a local salary. Many predicted that the traditional home-based balance sheet approach would gradually disappear. The predictions of the demise of the typical expatriate approach have been greatly exaggerated. We are witnessing the emergence of new compensation challenges instead, due to the complexity of having to manage multiple types of assignments and assignee categories.

The home-based approach still retains its utility for certain kinds of moves (e.g. business-critical assignments or moves to hardship locations). Local strategies are becoming more common but, due to the difficulty of applying them consistently in all transfer destinations, they are used only in some cases (moves between similar countries, developmental moves) and take multiple forms as “purely local” or local-plus approaches. Additional approaches like international compensation structures have emerged to address issues of global nomads.

The challenge for HR managers is, therefore, not so much to find the best approach applicable for all assignments as to deal with individual assignment complexity, envisage greater mobility policy segmentation and, if relevant for the company, map each compensation approach to a particular assignment in a consistent way.

The increasingly complex international assignment landscape: One size does not fit all anymore

Expatriates vs. Locals

One size fits all?

Let's localize assignees as soon as possible!

Expatriates

Rise of the third-country nationals

Need to add a cost efficient category for junior employees/developmental moves?

Traditional expatriates

Global nomads

Permanent transfers

Employee-initiated moves

Local or local plus?

Foreigners hired locally

Commuters (cross-border or regional

Multiple types of short-term/project/rotational assignments

Increasing number of home locations

Reviewing international assignment approaches in three steps:

Step 1: Understand the options available

Approaches linked to the host country (local or local-plus)

While these approaches sound logical and natural (when relocating assignees to a new country, they will be paid according to the local salary structure in that destination country) their practical implementation is often tricky. Few employees accept a salary decrease when moving to a low-paying country. It is often difficult to reintegrate assignees relocated to a high-paying country into their original salary structure due to their inflated base salary.

The host approach was historically not the most common for assignees on long-term assignments. However, we have witnessed a growing interest in recent years in host-based approaches – either a host approach or local-plus approach (host salary plus selected benefits or premiums) – as companies are trying to contain costs and as significant salary increases in many emerging markets make host strategies more attractive.

Approaches linked to the home country ("balance sheets")

Home-based approaches have been traditionally the most commonly used to compensate international assignees. Assignees on a home-based approach retain their home-country salary and receive a suite of allowances and premiums designed to cover the costs linked to expatriation. The equalization logic behind the balance sheet approach (no gain/no loss) encourages mobility by removing obstacles. Retaining the home-country salary facilitates repatriation. The balance sheet approach can, however, be costly. Many companies either look for alternatives or try to reduce the benefits and premiums included for less significant moves.

Step 2: Assessing assignment patterNs and business objectives

Assignment patterns

Are assignees moving between countries with similar salary levels, which would make the use of local or local plus easier or, on the contrary, are expatriates sent to host countries with different pay and benefits structures (low-paying to high-paying, or high-paying to low-paying country moves)? Are moves for a fixed duration – e.g., assignments lasting one to five years – or will the company rely on permanent transfers with no guarantee of repatriation?

Assignee Population

Are assignees coming mainly from the headquarter countries (typical for early stages of globalization) or is the number of third-country nationals already significant? A growing number of multinational companies report that the number of moves between emerging markets (“lateral moves”) is catching up with or exceeding the number from the headquarters, prompting a review of compensation approaches.

Are some assignees becoming true global nomads who move from country to country without returning home during their career? Employees, and especially the younger generations, are becoming much more mobile, but only a minority would be global nomads. These assignees are usually top-level managers, experts with unique skills, or globally mobile talent sourced from small or emerging countries where the absence of career opportunities perspective would preclude repatriation perspectives.

Company's philosophy and sector

Some industry sectors like services and finances relocate employees between major regional and financial hubs which facilitate the use of local approach, whereas energy and engineering companies transferred employees to hardship locations are a key feature of the business – and requires comprehensive expatriation packages often based on balance sheets and international salary structures.

Step 3: Assess segmentation needs

An increasing number of companies rely on expatriate policy segmentation to reconcile the cost control versus international expansion dilemma – how to have the same number of assignments or more without increasing the budget dedicated to international mobility. Segmentation means reallocating part of the budget to business critical assignees and limits the costs of non-essential moves.

Some of the commonly used assignment categories include strategic moves (business-critical), developmental moves (which benefit both the company and the employee), and self-requested move (requested by the employee but not essential to the business).

A consistent policy segmentation approach allows HR teams to present business cases or assignment options to management and provide a clearer understanding of the cost and business implications of relocation for different assignees.

It could also help manage exceptions into a well-defined framework based on a consistent talent management approach, as opposed to ad hoc deals.

Example of segmented compensation approach: the four-box model

Chart showing segmented compensation approach: the four-box model

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International Assignments Term Paper

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Introduction

International assignments are an integral part of the current state of the world due to globalization. Businesses and companies seek to expand their territory across boundaries and thereby target a larger market share.

The development of technology has actually made the whole process easy as it is very easy to communicate with subsidiary managers as well as move from one country to the other. International assignments are however not assigned to any employee but are mainly given to managers and executives who demonstrate a high level of competency with regard to the assignment and working in a multi-cultural context.

This is a very interesting topic as it gives insight into the process of expatriation, it advantages as well as the challenges faced when one goes on an international assignment. This paper will focus on discussing precisely these issues so as to gain a better understanding about international assignments.

The process of international assignment takes place in three distinct stages as indicated in the figure below (Bonache, Brewster, & Suutari, 2001):

The first stage is the pre-assignment stage and involves selection and preparation. This phase entails the use of four types of variables that are paramount in contributing towards the success/failure of an assignment. They are technical competence on the assignment since the expatriate will be very far away from the mother company thus cannot readily consult peers and superiors.

This way, the individual should demonstrate a very high degree of technical competence in relation to the task at hand. The other selection variable is personal traits with a focus on the individual’s ability to effectively relate with his/her peers, superiors, business associates, subordinates and clients. This is a very significant variable with regard to working in a multi-cultural context.

During the selection process, the expatriates should show their ability to amicable handle environmental variables. The expatriate is required to show a high level of competency in coping with governments, customers, unions and competitors. Despite the fact that the environmental systems in a foreign country may be different from that of the expatriate’s home country, understanding the systems first is very necessary so that the expatriate can operate in accordance with these systems.

In case the expatriate is required to move with his/her family, during the selection process, it will be very necessary to ensure that the expatriate’s family is willing and ready to adjust to the living conditions in the host country. This is especially very complicated when one of the spouses is forced to give up their career so as to accompany their partners in the foreign country (Reiche & Harzing, 2009).

After thoroughly and carefully selecting the expatriates, they are prepared by engaging them in diverse cross-cultural training programs so that they can gain insight on their own cultural backgrounds, the specific cultural features of the host country, the degree of contact required with the host country, duration of assignment, family situation and communication skills with a special focus on language.

This kind of preparation is essential because it enables the expatriates to know what is expected of them hence develop the necessary strategies required to attain effectiveness while in the foreign country (Black, Mendenhall, & Oddou, 1991).

Culture shock is inevitable with regard to exposure to a foreign country as is the case during international assignments. However, it gives rise to uncertainty and stress which can be dealt with if the expatriate’s anticipatory adjustment is positive based on cross-cultural training and prior international experience. The expatriate is required to make adjustments based on work, local nationals and living conditions.

The spouse is part of the adjustment process and there is need that he/she is equally prepared before arrival in the foreign country. Finally, once the assignment is over and he international assignee is required to go back home, it is important that he/she is prepared for the journey back home. This is attributed to the fact that the assignee may encounter another culture shock that he/she may not be able to cope with hence resulting into negative effects such as job resignation and loss of valuable employees.

Effective management of human talent is a very important factor for competitive differentiation in determining the success of organizations. This is because, the human ability is known to invent and develop products and services that are later sold to the public.

The workplace, for many decades, has been composed of people and as companies and organizations extend beyond the boundaries, international assignments have become commonplace. Globalization has been at the forefront in promoting the growth of business across cities, states, regions and countries (Stroh, et al., 2009).

International assignments entail the deployment of nationals from a given country to a different country, where they live and work for a given period of time depending on the assignment. They take place in three forms: ethnocentric, polycentric and geocentric. The ethnocentric form entails the appointment of parent country nationals to executive posts at the subsidiary companies.

Polycentric kind of orientation is where host country nationals are appointed while the geocentric form entails the appointment of the most suitable individual irrespective of their nationality thus accommodates third country nationals (nationals from other countries other than the MNC’s or the subsidiary’s countries).

Heenan and Perlmutter (1979) identified a fourth kind of approach, the regiocentric orientation where managers are given transfers to different regions. The mode of appointment is chosen depending on the MNC’s preference and decision.

There are various reasons as to why a company may want to send an employee to its subsidiary company in a foreign country. The Edström and Galbraith (1977) typology is used to explain the reason why managers are sent on international assignment based on three motives.

To start with, there is the need to fill up positions and this entails the transfer of technical and managerial knowledge. This is very much applicable in developing countries where the qualifications of the desired person are not available. This cannot be ruled out in developed countries as well since specific knowledge transfer may be required.

This is attributed to the fact that the expatriates are considered to be the key bearers of tacit knowledge. Secondly, the assignment is vital for management development since it enables the manager to gain international experience, which may be required for future use. International assignments based on management development do not take into consideration the availability of qualified host-country nationals.

Lastly, international assignments are carried out for the purpose of organization development. This is necessary so as to establish socialization between the expatriates and local managers, as well as develop verbal information network to link the subsidiary companies and the headquarters.

International assignments serve the purpose of coordination and control with regard to three main elements. Expatriates provide personal/cultural control by replacing or complementing headquarters centralization of decision-making as well as directly surveying the subsidiary companies. Expatriates also exercise control through socialization and creation of informal communication networks. This they do by moving from one subsidiary company to another establishing a certain kind of informal communication network.

This they do by assuming the roles of a bumble-bee fly and spiders. This helps the subsidiary companies to function independently by facilitating informal control. On the other hand, there are subsidiaries which are highly dependent on the headquarter company and in such a case the expatriate tends to facilitate direct expatriate control (Reiche & Harzing, 2009).

Coordination and control of MNCs has been greatly enabled by advances in transportation and communication technology. It is because of this technology that companies have been able to expand into other countries and are globalizing at very great rates. However, there arises some misunderstanding with regard to cultural diversity because different people from different cultures, countries and regions perceive things differently.

In the way, management styles are different and therefore, a manager may face a great challenge trying to adjust and fit into the culture of the host/foreign country. Failure to act in accordance with the culture in the foreign country may jeopardize achievement of the formulated and set objectives.

It is because of the great challenges involved with international assignments that have led to the development of alternative forms of expatriation. To start with, there are inpatriate assignments where managers of subsidiary companies are transferred to the headquarters for a given period of time so that the manager gets to know and understand the operations of the parent company thereby, establish informal communication networks (Harvey, Novicevic & Speier, 2000).

This also enables the subsidiary managers to have a direct link with the corporate culture and plays a key role in exposing parent company managers to the international perception.

Short-term assignments are another alternative used to counteract the challenges associated with expatriation. Short-term assignments usually last for a period between 1-12 months and the expatriate in this case does not have to go with his/her family hence avoiding the challenges and disruptions associated with relocating an entire family (Collings, Scullion, & Morley, 2007). Short-term assignments are rather ad hoc and tend to be less formal thus are not too involving.

They are cost-effective and require less bureaucratic efforts in addition to the fact they can be promptly and flexibly carried out. However, short-term assignments do not allow the expatriates to establish local networks with the local colleagues and customers. In addition, their marriages are at risk since their roles in their marriages if left pending (Tahvanainen, Worm, & Welch, 2005).

There are various uncertainties that are associated with international assignments. Expatriates are usually concerned about the status of their compensation and benefits. There are concerns about compensation and benefits retention during stay of the expatriates in the foreign country. In addition, the expatriates are worried that they would not be compensated for the additional expenses they incur and especially in foreign countries where the cost of living is higher.

Tax is a very sensitive issue as it forms the largest part of the costs linked to subsidiaries. An international assignment is a very expensive venture for both the organization and the expatriate. While the organization is required to pay tax liabilities on benefits associated with the assignment such as accommodation under tax equalization, an expatriate on the other hand incurs additional expense when having to relocate with the family.

Most companies and individuals continuously believe that international assignments are imperative with regard to escalating the managers’ global competence (Gregersen, Morrison & Black, 1998). Since international assignments entail working in a cross-cultural context, it enables managers and selected international assignees to comprehend how to efficiently and effectively function within such a multinational and multicultural business environment.

Harris, Brewster & Sparrow (2003) have stated that unfortunately, these competencies do not benefit an individual directly since the skills are directed towards enhancing the performance of an organization or company. It is true that international assignments play a key role in enhancing the knowing how of assignees but these skills and knowledge cannot be transferred to their home context.

Managers and executives are required, and should possess the abilities to place emphasis and understand the peculiar needs of local foreign customers, labor pools, government policies, suppliers, and technology to effectively and efficiently formulate and implement strategic plans. In addition, there is need to focus on the general global market trends.

Great environment scanning abilities are necessary for the manager to help them pick up the relevant and necessary information. Extensive knowledge and processing ability is necessary if data is to be categorized and interpreted effectively. To second an earlier mentioned statement, international assignments require the international assignees to possess great interpersonal skills that are necessary while integrating and working with the people in the foreign country.

International assignees are usually managers, highly recognized executives within an organization or some other highly selected individuals with proficient skills in handling the assignment at hand. It is very important that managers develop the required skills in as far as international assignments are concerned because, the world in the 21 st century where globalization is inevitable and therefore, managers and individuals who can work with people from different cultures, religions and ethnicities are a necessity (Stroh et al., 2009).

International assignments are now considered part of the pedigree required while trying to look for talented individuals within an organization. International assignments are considered important in developing global leaders in the present global society. If growth and prosperity is to be achieved within an organization, then it becomes very difficult to do away with international assignments since business growth entails growing beyond the local boundaries.

The Philip Morris Companies for example owes its growth due to its ability to identify and know its global ‘bench-strength’ alongside appreciating its people as strategic weapons. As a manager or leader in a company, one is required to be very adept in handling different kinds of people because having a global business means managing teams made up of people across different cultures.

The Philip Morris Companies Inc. spends a great deal of time on international assignments as a typical leadership technique. The Generic Electric (GE) is another company that appreciates international assignments as a means of gaining knowledge and experience that is very vital in the 21 st century.

This is because the company needs to know how it should compete and satisfy the global-base market hence the manger at GE are required to comprehend the global markets, competitors, consumers and suppliers (Stroh et al., 2009).

International assignments are not a means of progressing in relation to one’s career; rather it is a chance for assessing one’s ability in handling challenges as well as extending business. They are a central component of the global management approach of a majority of organizations.

The reason for this is that once an international assignee has returned home from the international assignment, they are not promoted and face a difficult time trying to adjust with their former state. The main importance of these assignments is to ensure the smooth running of subsidiary business in compliance with the headquarter objectives.

International assignments are associated with various benefits like development of global leadership skills. On the other hand, there are some problems revolving around these assignments like heavy costs incurred by an organization, the organizations risks losing valuable employees and there is lack of certainty with regard to career progression and development once the assignment is over (Lazarova & Caligiuri, 2004).

The international assignee selected for the assignment is faced with great challenges including resistance to set a posting date because of “family constraints, issues of personal investment into cultural and work adaptation, reverse culture shock and applicability of the capabilities gained during and after an IA” (Suutari & Brewster, 2004).

Management of the global leadership gap is the main focus with regard to international businesses. However, the lack of high quality talent is a huge impediment to successful execution of international assignments.

Therefore, there is a great need for an organization to carry out a thorough careful selection process so as to identify the individuals who are most preferred for the assignment. Poor selection is very costly to organizations as it leads to losses (direct and indirect costs). The selection process entails a central focus on prediction of job context rather than job context.

Only individuals who have demonstrated a great deal of competency with reference to the assignment at hand are considered for the job. Qualified individuals showing the capability of being able to effectively handle challenges that are prevalent while working with individuals, organizations and groups that have different perceptions and approaches in carrying out duties are selected for expatriation (Caligiuri, Tarique & Jacobs, 2009).

Hall, Zhu & Yan (2001) are of the opinion that international assignments are very crucial in terms of development of leadership skills as they expose managers to surprises hence triggering reflection and exploration, which are very important elements in learning. It is evident as earlier seen through examples that multinational organizations recognize the necessity of international assignments in fostering leadership development.

Despite the argument that international assignments do not promise career growth/progression, one cannot assume the fact that expatriates gain a lot of experience and skills since they are able to have a global perspective of the organization’s business and thereby work well with people from various cultural backgrounds (Dickmann & Harris, 2005).

It is worth noting that not all international assignments offer valuable developmental experiences to leaders/mangers. This is attributed to the fact that the assignments could be short-term and efficient use of time and resources is called for. As a result, there is dilution of development experiences for the manager. In addition, the learning ability and personality traits of the leaders could also be an impediment to gaining developmental experiences (Dalton & Ernst, 2004).

International assignments involve more than just one department. If a marketing division of a company intends to venture in an international assignment, then there is need to involve other departments for the expatriate assignment to be successful. When an expatriate is selected, the human resource manager consents the selected person and subsequently holds consultations with other executives to deliberate on the suitability of the selected candidate as the ideal expatriate.

The global mobility coordinator (GMC) is then consulted with regard to international relocations and it is the global mobility coordinator that defines and structures the assignment in the most attractive offer. The GMC seeks answers to the following (Halverson, 2004):

The necessity of the relocation and if it can be executed by a different person in the host country
Whether the assignment is temporary or permanent
The business objectives of the assignment and where they are SMART
Why the selected candidate is the best person to be sent on the expatriate assignment
If the company is ready to shoulder the costs that come with an international transfer

A relocation company is consulted to give the estimated costs for the relocation. The home and host country need to arrive at a consensus with regard to the assignment. The host country human resource manager should be actively involved in the assignment so that he/she is able to explicitly explain it to the rest of the executive and management team of the company in the host country. The home and host countries should reach a consensus on (Halverson, 2004):

Relocation benefits
The start and end date of the assignment
The corporate entity that will be responsible for the relocation costs
The process through which charge-backs are handled

When all the above have been met, there are other factors that need to be addressed (Halverson, 2004):

Immigration process with a focus on attainment of work permits and visas
Where the expatriate’s payroll will be processed
Whether promotion is guaranteed
Benefits that will accompany the relocation
Payment of taxes
The assignment should be in accordance with both the home and host country laws
The assignment should be easily tracked in the general ledger
Enough money should be allocated for this assignment
Changes related to the international assignment should be continuously updated

A senior engineer from a certain European electronics company was given an international assignment based in Saudi Arabia for a period of four years. The entire assignment cost approximately $ 4million.

The senior engineer was able to learn and speak fluent Arabic; he gained new technical skills and expanded his network of friends. However, after the man went back home, he was in constant arguments with his colleagues, superiors and subordinates because he had become so much adjusted to the Arabic’s way of doing things that he had practically forgotten how things ran in the headquarters.

To add on to his misery, he waited for close to nine months before he could get a permanent assignment, which granted him lesser authority and power than he had had while in Saudi Arabia. As is the usual trend in most cases upon repatriation, the man resigned from his job and joined a direct competitor, where he ended up maximizing on the knowledge and skills gained from Saudi Arabia to compete against his former employer (Black & Gregersen, 1999).

This case study clearly shows how international assignments bring about huge set-backs upon the company and repatriate. Therefore, it is important that repatriates receive the same kind of preparation they received during transfer to a foreign country. This is because, they have gotten used to the systems and culture in the foreign country that overlap their initially held perceptions and cultural traits.

International assignments are necessary in today’s current world but, the style in which they are designed and implement is paramount. This is important so that the assignment is successful and when the expatriate eventually returns to his/her home country, he/she will continue living and working just as before.

However, in most cases as seen from the case study above, repatriates do not get any preparation upon returning home and as a result are not able to cope with their former situation. International assignments help in managing businesses overseas but in doing so, organizations and companies should factor in all the anticipated challenges and help the international assignees cope with them in the most amicable way possible.

Black, J. S., & Gregersen, H. B., 1999. The right way to manage expats. Harvard Business Review, 77 (2), 52-62.

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Dickmann, M., & Harris, H. 2005. Developing Career Capital for Global Careers: The Role of International Assignments. Journal of World Business , 40 (4), 399- 408.

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Hall, D. T., Zhu, G., & Yan, A., 2001. Developing Global Leaders: To hold on to them, let them go. Advances in Global Leadership, 2, 327-349.

Halverson, E., 2004. Who Knew? International Assignments Create Ripples. Plus Post. Web.

Harris, H., Brewster, C. & Sparrow, P., 2003. International Human Resource Management . London: CIPD.

Harvey, M., Novicevic, M. M., & Speier, C., 2000. Strategic global human resource management: The role of inpatriate managers. Human Resource Management Review , 10 (2), 153-175.

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Lazarova, M., & Caligiuri, P., 2004. Repatriation and knowledge management. In Harzing, A.-W., & Ruysseveldt, J.V. Eds. International Human Resource Management . London: Sage Publications.

Reiche, S., & Harzing, A.-W., 2009. International Assignments . London: Sage Publications.

Stroh, L. K., et al., 2009. International Assignments: An Integration of Strategy, Research and Practice. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Suutari, V., & Brewster, C., 2004. Repatriation: empirical evidence from a longitudinal study on careers and expectations among Finnish expatriates. International Journal of Human Resource Management . 14 (7), 1132-1151.

Tahvanainen, M., Worm, V., & Welch, D. 2005. Implications of short-term international assignments. European Management Journal , 23 (6), 663-673.

Warner Media and Its Subsidiary
Host County Nationals and Its Help to Expatriates
US Expatriates' Benefits, Compensation, and Risks
The Effects of Globalization on Management and Engineering
Baskin-Robbins Competition
Impacts of Globalization on Strategies of International Businesses
Egypt's Economic Environment and Development
Financial Globalization in Modern Business
Chicago (A-D)
Chicago (N-B)

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Lessons from an international assignment

Robert S. DeVries

An international assignment has long been seen as providing executives with an opportunity for personal growth and professional development, while enabling companies to place executives in markets where specific capabilities are needed or to spread corporate values and best practices throughout the organization. With business footprints expanding and international markets becoming increasingly important drivers of revenue and profit growth, companies need executives who are global thinkers with broad-based business perspectives and the agility to master an array of markets, cultures, competitors and workforce differences.

As these capabilities become even more important, having a meaningful assignment outside one’s own market has become a critical element of executive experience and is likely to become a prerequisite for career advancement at a growing number of multinational companies.

We asked several senior executives to think back to their first or most memorable international assignment and share how those experiences helped to shape or influence their leadership styles. What surprised them the most? What did they learn and how have they continued to apply those lessons in their current leadership roles? Finally, what advice would they give to other executives about succeeding in an international assignment?

Philippe Bourguignon

Vice chairman, revolution places, and ceo, club med, what surprised you.

Someone who was born and raised in his country and, when he is 25, 28, 30, is posted abroad, obviously, learns so much during his first assignment. I was raised in Morocco. My father worked for a U.S. company, and I came to the U.S. almost every year when I was a young boy. Therefore, I’ve been exposed and living international from basically almost the time I was born. It is more a way of life, and, by the way, this has been a huge gift. My two children were born in New York and raised in the U.S., and today they are totally bicultural.

What have you learned?

I like to say that I’ve learned patience in Asia, and I’ve learned what competition means in the U.S., because I’m from a country where there is no patience and limited competition.

What I also learned by working internationally is that if you keep good sense — remain grounded in basic business judgment and rules — you can work in any foreign environment. Good sense is key. Some people try too hard to be too local, understand everything, but you will never understand a foreign country as well as you understand your native country, even if you speak the language. But good sense is the same everywhere.

What advice would you give to others based on your experience?

To an executive, my advice would be to listen and be humble. Listening is very important. Be humble and respectful. The tendency, particularly if you go into emerging countries, is to consider that everything else is not as well done. But being humble and respectful of people buys you tremendous mileage no matter where you go. You need to be more humble abroad than you are at home and more respectful.

When you are abroad, things are over-amplified. Being abroad over-amplifies your body language, your words and your decisions. Whatever you say is listened to twice as carefully as when you say it at home. You are watched much more closely than you are at home — for both good and bad.

John Doumani

Managing director, australasia for fonterra cooperative group, what did you learn.

The business issues were not that hard to discover, but the bigger issues for me were actually more cultural. The culture in the U.K. was similar to here, and there was a relatively informal work environment where you can joke around a bit. This is my style and it translated really well. However in Italy and the U.S., the work environment is more formal, and I had to adjust my style to be conscious of this. Had I not done so, I would not have been able to be effective working for the organization. You have to be very careful not to offend people. If you want people to follow your leadership, you have to engage them in a way that works for them.

Seventy percent of what you know about business will translate, but the other 30 percent — the difference between success and failure quite often — comes down to truly understanding the business dynamics that might be different. Market dynamics vary greatly in terms of regulations, trade and competitive structures. You’ve got to make sure you get your head around this because it will affect your ability to implement what you want to do, and you have to modify whatever you do to fit in.

The bigger issue is to be really sensitive to cultural differences. There’s no shortcut in being able to do this other than to have an open mind and be willing to accept any differences. You can’t go with the attitude of, “I’m just going to do what I do and if they don’t like it, stuff it!” The first thing is to accept that the cultural issues are really important. Accept the fact that it may be different and be really open-minded. The sooner you identify and are open to any differences, the better.

Philip Earl

Executive vice president and general manager, publishing for activision blizzard, what most surprised you.

Having worked in Saudi Arabia, having worked in Australia, having worked in Los Angeles, what surprised me the most is that there are more similarities than differences in the people across countries.

I learned the importance of understanding the pace of change: how much to do and how quickly. You have to be very astute in understanding the capabilities of the organization in the marketplace. It can be too fast, but can also be too slow. There is no right or wrong answer. You have got to accept that you can have a very strong strategy and you can have a very good vision, but unless you bring the team with you, it is just disconnected. Your people capability platform will determine whether to go faster or slower.

What people leadership insights have you gained?

Something interesting I have learned is the fact that people are motivated by different things, and understanding what most drives a specific individual lies at the heart of leadership. Often you assume people are concerned about money. It almost always isn’t the case. There has to be a base level of remuneration, but in three years working with video games people, I have Harvard graduates who just want to work in that industry; it motivates them to be part of something amazing. It is a passion for them. Some people are motivated by a very strong sense of family and a sense of community. If you are not careful and gloss over individual motivations, you never get the most out of people. You have got to understand people. There can be 10 nuances of what motivates them, and if you get that right, despite cultural differences, you can usually do quite well.

My advice is to “be in.” When you go to a new market, don’t hang around on the side; just get in there. Absorb the culture, language, food, sport, everything. You get a reaction from your work colleagues that is really incredible and makes you feel that you really want to be here, and as a consequence, they see you as an expat wanting to be here.

Conrado Engel

Chief executive officer, hsbc bank brazil.

The most important thing was how careful you have to be about managing cultural differences. People react differently to situations, and this is very challenging. For example, the way you interact with a Chinese company is completely different from an Indian one. Individuals can interpret situations very differently. Early during my assignment in Hong Kong, after a meeting where we were assigned tasks for a particular project, I asked an executive for a status update prior to the due date. I realized later that this made the executive feel very uncomfortable, because, as he said, he would fulfill his commitments; it was part of his responsibility. Again, it demonstrates the importance of understanding cultural differences.

What personal or professional lessons from your international experience have remained with you?

Managing any business is about managing people. Dealing with different cultures and reactions is crucial. I learned to listen more and reflect more before taking immediate action. I also learned that people can significantly benefit from each other’s experience. For example, I believe that my experience in dealing with crisis management as a Brazilian executive was very beneficial to the HSBC Group when I was in Hong Kong.

You have to visit people, go and visit the countries and the operations, and establish strong professional connections. Personal relationships may also help. Understanding the cultural environment is of vital importance. Learning how to navigate a large organization like HSBC — with a strong internal culture, with very strong roots in Asia — is also critical for success.

It is always best to listen, comprehend and then act.

Kirk Kinsell

President of the americas, intercontinental hotels group.

Based in London, with responsibilities for Europe and Africa, the things that surprised me were the diversity of thinking and the distinctive cultures and, therefore, how people felt, how people thought, how they processed information and what was important to them varied tremendously. As a result, there was more dialogue, which oftentimes meant debate. Having to have that broader discussion on issues was intriguing, challenging and fulfilling. Initially, the discussion can feel like it’s slowing things down, but when you reset expectations and build in opportunities for debate, what I have found is that, even though people may not agree with the ultimate decision, the process allows people to align and walk out of a meeting on the same page.

What personal or professional lessons have remained with you?

I made it a point to get underneath the differences between my new environment and what I was used to at home, and understand the history and the stories behind the surface. I began to appreciate the differences for how they enrich the environment that I was in, creating a more holistic and colorful tapestry from an aesthetic standpoint.

Coming back to the United States, I find myself wanting to go deeper with people who I otherwise would have thought were just like me. As a result, I think I have the potential to build stronger relationships. I have the potential to be a better leader. Because our job as leaders is to unlock the potential of the people we work with and the people we have the privilege of leading and managing. And, therefore, I can get perhaps a better perspective of who they are and their motivations and how they align with the company’s purpose and objectives.

What advice would you give others based on your experience?

To another American, I would say dialing down the fact that you’re American and dialing up being a global citizen is probably a much more effective way of engaging people. It doesn’t mean that you change your principles or your beliefs or your value system; it means being sensitized to how you come across. Saying things like, “We do it this way back there” — meaning that was the only good way — can come off as being too American, too know-it-all, too celebratory, too cheerleading, too shallow, all those things that are sometimes attributed to being American.

Murilo Portugal

President of febraban (brazilian federation of banks).

My most relevant international experience was to work with International Monetary Fund. It provided me a great opportunity to understand the reality of other countries. Since I was responsible for the fund’s relations with 81 countries in all five continents — from advanced countries such as Sweden to developing countries such as Bhutan — I had to understand different environments and market dynamics. In this role, I came into direct contact with the reality of different countries, different economic cycles and stages of development, from crisis to growth moments. What did not surprise me, unfortunately, was the reaction in some places to the economic crisis in 2008, in particular, the difficulty of entering into a discussion with governments and the denial about the gravity of the problems.

Do not postpone the inevitable. Trying to escape an inevitable conclusion will increase the costs related to the decision, but it is hard to define what you should fight for, and what to give up.

What personal or professional lessons from the experience have remained with you?

Life is the best teacher. The only problem is that there is only one pedagogy. You learn when you hit a wall, and usually you have to go through this painful process to learn. Even if you rationally know what to do, usually you only change when you hit a wall, because of the limitations in the decision-making process and human behavior.

Respect the level of the professionals who work with you, and learn how to best deal with very smart people and motivate them. Well-qualified people, of course, have their own ambitions and personal interests. It is critical to maintain the enthusiasm of people in a multicultural environment, and devote time for that. You have to be a manager of people, otherwise you will fail even if you are capable of managing processes and tasks. Technical knowledge alone will not make you successful.

This article is included in Point of View 2012 .

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International Assignments: Who's Going Where and Why?

What does the global-mobility landscape look like today?

According to global relocation services provider Cartus’ recent 2013 Trends in Global Relocation Survey, younger employees are most interested in taking international relocation assignments, with career development being the main reason, and sequential assignments are on the rise.

The survey’s findings shed light on who companies are moving (and where), what criteria they are using to select their mobile talent, and how they’re linking talent management to global mobility.

Assignee Demographics

The demographics of the expatriate population appear to be steady in terms of gender, with the percentages of both men (79 percent) and women (21 percent) shifting only slightly from 2012.

Generation X employees (56 percent) represent the largest age group of transferees. Baby Boomers (20 percent) posted a slight increase over 2012, while the youngest group—Millennials, or Generation Y (20 percent)—showed a significant increase.

Married expats with accompanying families are still the most common but have become a smaller percentage of global workers over the past six years. The category of those “married and traveling solo” has gained the most in percentage points over this period.

In general, younger, single male employees are showing the highest interest in global assignments, according to the survey. Women, Baby Boomers and employees with families are showing less interest in working abroad.

This profile holds true when the destination is an emerging market.

“Given the issues with schooling, housing and in many cases security, the lack of interest among assignees with families is not surprising,” the report said.

Some of the respondents’ comments include:

“Dubai and the Middle East have their limitations for certain lifestyles. People with family are not so open to move their family to areas with little infrastructure.”
“There is low interest in African regions.”
“Employees seem to be less interested in going to certain locations if assignment allowances do not properly reflect the hardships that exist in the new work/life environment.”
“As the quality of lifestyle in emerging markets can vary when compared to a developed country, it is difficult for entire families to relocate to these types of countries. We have implemented two-year assignments in these regions, which seem to be working, with a limited time in more challenging environments.”
“Although Millennials are interested in these types of assignments, we need highly experienced people to go in and develop our emerging markets, so sometimes the interest and the experience needed to be successful are out of sync.”
“Employees with families tend to shy away from emerging markets. They look for places with more stable economies and social systems, especially for reasons of safety, security and schooling. They are also concerned about fluctuations in currency and overall earning and savings power.”

Most and Least Desirable Locations for Assignments

When asked which of the developed countries generated the most employee interest for assignments, the clear choices were the U.S., U.K., Australia, Singapore and Canada.

Tier I India and China (developed cities such as Mumbai and Shanghai) ranked as the locations that workers were most resistant to relocating to among the developed countries, indicating these are still perceived as challenging markets.

For emerging-market locations, Brazil topped the list of nations to which employees most wanted to go, followed closely by the United Arab Emirates. Among the emerging-market countries that professionals were reluctant to work in are Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Russia. Notably, Tiers II-IV for both India and China show up as generating significant interest and resistance. “This is likely attributable to the fact that as booming markets, they offer significant opportunities but also major challenges in infrastructure and other areas,” the report explained. “They are likely to be perceived differently depending on the assignee’s experience, appetite for adventure, and perception of the market’s importance to company goals.”

Motivating Factors

When asked for the main reasons why employees accepted an international assignment, companies said that while attractive compensation was named by a third of respondents (34 percent), the main motivating factors for employees were career development and advancement.

“This finding is a clear indicator that now is the time for companies to really start focusing on creating synergies across HR and businesses in order to ensure assignees are no longer ‘out of sight, out of mind’ and they are aware that the company is also focusing on their career. If employees’ value is not recognized, particularly the Gen Y/Millennial population, attrition rates will continue to rise,” according to the report.

Qualifying Criteria

As for the business criteria and qualifications that organizations seek when considering someone for an international assignment, leadership potential (80 percent) and technical skills (75 percent) were cited the most. A significant number of respondents (61 percent) also noted that the criteria depended on the project. Notably, only 33 percent are factoring in minimum performance ratings in selection criteria.

Flexibility and the ability to adapt to fluid circumstances (71 percent) led the list of behavioral characteristics businesses look for when considering an employee for an assignment abroad.

Second and third on the list of behavioral traits were career orientation and the desire to advance (63 percent), and the ability to work productively in an independent setting (57 percent).

Questioned about the family criteria their organization takes into account when considering someone for an international assignment, 68 percent of respondents said family status was not considered, while 25 percent said family criteria depended on the project.

Linking Talent Management and Global Mobility

When asked whether they agreed with the statement “The impact of an international assignment on an assignee’s career is positive,” 82 percent said yes, a 30 percent increase from 2009. “This supports the feeling that companies are paying more attention to, and realizing the importance of, how international assignments support employee growth, business value and retention,” the report said.

Building effective linkages between talent and global mobility will help ensure that assignments truly contribute to company business strategies, the report said.

According to respondents, the most frequently implemented strategies were:

Ensuring assignment objectives are incorporated into the employee’s performance review while on assignment (62 percent).
Collaborating with HR to ensure that employee performance ratings are considered for all workers on overseas assignments (60 percent).

The top three strategies under consideration:

Tracking postassignment employee advancement (63 percent).
Tracking postassignment employee retention (57 percent).
Developing a global talent pool for future assignments (56 percent).

Sequential Assignments Rising

Not all expatriates get to return home after an assignment. Fifty-eight percent of respondents have either many (13 percent) or a few (45 percent) “global nomads” who are on back-to-back assignments. More than half (57 percent) expect the sequential-assignment trend to stay about the same, and about a third (31 percent) expect the trend to increase.

Of organizations that said they have sequential assignments, 80 percent said they were typically long term, and the most frequent demographic profile was an older employee, Generation X worker or a Baby Boomer. This supports a general trend of companies sending more senior employees on this type of assignment, often with newer employees accompanying them for professional development, the report said.

Repatriation Lacking

Responding organizations ranked repatriation and career development highest among aspects of their relocation programs they most want to improve.

More than half (58 percent) of companies said they did not offer formal repatriation programs. Of those that offer these programs, only a third (33 percent) typically offer repatriation programs for long-term assignments. The most common reasons given for not offering these programs were lack of perceived value by the organization (60 percent) and cost considerations (35 percent).

Roy Maurer is an online editor/manager for SHRM.

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International Staffing Approaches to International Assignment Challenges by Emerging Market Multinationals

First Online: 01 January 2022

Cite this chapter

Iris Koleša ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7324-7819 2

Part of the book series: Contributions to Management Science ((MANAGEMENT SC.))

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In this chapter, I provide an overview of firm-level results from a comparative case study conducted in two large, mature emerging market multinational enterprises (Firm A and Firm B). I aim to identify the international staffing approaches these firms employ in response to the challenges presented to them by the emerging market context and establish why they approach international staffing in a particular way, what types of international employee mobilities they choose to use, and how they manage managerial international assignments. I first present the characteristics of the two sample firms. I then present the international staffing approaches used in these firms for top managerial posts across their networks as well as the shifts in these approaches during the 2012–2017 period for which detailed data on individual managers’ international transfers is available in the firms’ annual reports (see Sect. 6.1 ). I continue the chapter with a discourse analysis that provides insights into firm-level rationalisations of the international staffing strategies and practices by emerging market firms (see Sect. 6.2 ). An outline of the types of international employee mobilities that such firms employ (according to duration, purpose, direction, location, and category of host entity) follows (see Sect. 6.3 ). The chapter ends with a presentation of the main challenges related to managing managerial international assignments and the organisational responses to them (see Sect. 6.4 ).

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Its employer branding also includes international employee mobility opportunities, which indicates the long-term strategic international staffing orientation of Firm A.

Hofstede ( 2001 : 83) describes power distance “as a measure of the interpersonal power or influence between the boss and subordinate as perceived by the less powerful of the two”. See also Khatri ( 2009 ) and Ghosh ( 2011 ) for some implications of power distance for organisations.

For definitions of the different staffing approaches see Perlmutter and Heenan ( 1974 ).

Firm A’s annual reports show that, in the newly acquired locations, individuals from the headquarters are managing foreign units either for a transitional period before they transfer their responsibilities to (new) local management; or permanently—in teams or pairs with local managers (Firm A’s annual reports for 2012–2017).

The analysis only covers the location changes of top managers. However, there are also cases of individuals changing locations at lower managerial levels or across levels that are not recorded in the annual reports (see e.g. Interview 3a).

Three of the changes have been related to entity closure: one representative office in an unstable market and two subsidiaries (in markets where the firm remained represented by an already existing representative office or associate company) namely ceased to exist (Firm B’s annual reports for 2012–2017). The firm’s shift in a staffing approach can thus signal business closure to local employees (see also Interview 1b), which is why the firm needs to be particularly cautious in making international staffing shifts and communicate the reasoning for these clearly to the local staff.

While comparisons with international assignees and international assignments across firms may cause some convergence in organisational and individual practices, more research on this impact is needed in the future. This aspect of emerging market firms’ international staffing is beyond the scope of my study.

I include assignees with assignment experience from different developmental stages of the organisation in the research design. Results from (content and) discourse analyses from these interviews are reported in Chap. 8 .

The full corpus is only available for large MNEs included in the pilot and comparative case study, whereas smaller entities from the pilot study can only be studied through interview data.

Short-term international assignments from and to the headquarters are predominantly aimed at technology transfer, transfer of process knowledge, establishing business functions (usually through team assignments), and the introduction of improvements through project work or developmental tasks (Interview 4a).

The interviews in Firm A also reveal that short-term visits and training do not suffice for adequate firm–employee familiarisation. Through sporadic training (regardless of how intense and comprehensive) or headquarters visits, the individual does not acquire sufficient firm-specific knowledge and does not become adequately embedded in the headquarters, while the parent firm does not get adequately familiar with the employee’s work style and attitude, accomplishments, and work ethic. Intense regular work in the headquarters is required for strengthening the individual–organisation relationship and effective collaboration in highly centralised firms.

Although international staffing is barely mentioned in the annual reports, the accounting reports clearly demonstrate a focus on long-term managerial international assignments.

The similarities between the two sources may occur due to the interviewee’s involvement in creating (international) staffing strategies, practices, and actions in Firm A—as well as them probably co-writing parts of the annual reports.

This is also related to the firm’s centralised organisational structure that requires intense inter-entity collaboration.

The same holds for the firm’s reluctance to use flexpatriation, as the latter only enables (limited) relationship perseverance rather than relationship building, and prevents the quality interactions needed for problem solving and development. However, the use of flexpatriation nonetheless suggests that the effects of relationship building during expatriation with the more permanent physical presence of an individual in the host entity can be lagged.

See also Leana and Rousseau ( 2000 ) for conclusions on the importance of the different relationships within and of the firm for successful business performance, as well as Moser ( 2005 ) for research findings on the effect of recruits possessing internal information about the employer on their familiarity with an organisation and the meeting of expectations regarding the employment contract.

See also Chattopadhyay et al. ( 2010 ) for the implications of professional status hierarchies within teams for intra- and inter-category competition for status.

For an overview of different coaching principles as organisational responses to specific identity challenges see e.g. Yip et al. ( 2020 ).

The control function is prevalent in markets known for, or where the firm has experienced, corruption, whereby assignees break local networks as well as introduce the headquarters’ standards and processes to the foreign facility (Interviews 1a–8a).

The coordination role is relevant due to the operational connectedness of entities forming the MNE network to the headquarters and their functional dependence on the latter (Interviews 1a–8a).

For a definition see Sect. 13.1 .

For definitions see Sect. 13.1 .

A similar conclusion can be drawn from the pilot interviews.

The same individual (also included in pilot interviews) has been engaged in short-term mobilities in the context of the firm as well as independently. The shift to a ‘sole proprietor’ arrangement has been beneficial for both the assignee and the firm: i.e. it is not disruptive to extant firm–employee relations and allows the individual to create greater profit margins as well as establish a better work–life balance.

Specialists have a relative advantage in one task, whereas generalists are equally capable at multiple tasks (Prasad 2009 ).

One of the pilot interviews indicated that repatriation may be less of a challenge at the earlier developmental stages of a business, when growth is fast and new positions are opening quickly.

These departments are responsible for content-related preparation of assignees for their tasks abroad, whereas the HRM department is responsible for overall career planning and employee development, administrative support for the assignees, and support for foreign HRM departments. Assignees are not engaged in assignment planning or management, but their feedback is incorporated in the assignment management guidelines (Interviewee 1a).

Self-efficacy is the individuals’ judgment about their own ability to perform a particular behaviour or achieve a certain level of performance (Bandura 1978 , 1986 ).

Initially, the internal training scheme was developed for bridging the silos in the firm. The international dimension was added later on (Interview 1a).

Only young, ambitious staff (and not necessarily assignment-ready or suitable in terms of skills) rather than mature and experienced staff are willing to expatriate (Interview 1b).

The parent firm and its employees that have not experienced mobility cannot fully comprehend the difficulties and the immense (work and non-work related) challenges that an assignment imposes on an individual—in part also due to the distance between entities. International mobility seems more attractive and less challenging from a distance, whereas when experienced it is more demanding on an individual than expected (Interview 1b).

While internal recruits can be experts with middle- rather than top-level managerial experience, external recruits usually have managerial experience, as their preparation for an assignment already requires investment in the acquisition of firm-specific knowledge (Interview 1b).

The firm’s emphasis on soft skills and soft skills training is also consistent with its focus on relationship building at different levels and with different stakeholders.

In Interview 3b, the assignee references this type of support as extremely valuable and particularly useful for their integration into the local team (facilitating their acceptance among local employees) and market, as well as effective assumption of their managerial tasks.

These being acknowledged by the firm implies that they are significant enough to have an effect on individual’s or team’s performance and thus be noticed by the organisation.

For a quantitative study on this see Koleša et al. ( 2021 ).

The latter are related either (1) to the lack of motivation among assignees’ colleagues to provide support for an assignment since reciprocity of benefits may not be apparent or (2) employees unwillingness to accept assignees’ new roles when these are in breach of social norms or are reflected in the colleagues’ perceived or actual demotions.

Firm B also acknowledges that these arrangements are negotiated between an individual and the firm in macro context. This means that the institutional environments in the sending and receiving countries (individually and comparatively) need to be taken into account as they can determine what is the most favourable arrangement for a firm or an individual. The latter is usually prioritised due to the lack of assignment-willing and ready candidates.

Since career development is often considered as assignee preparation, additional pre-assignment trainings are rare. Firm A has, for example, introduced a holistic skills-focused training for its talents that supports internal networking for long-term collegial support , but is not assignment specific (it is rather expertise- or management-focused). Firm B, on the other hand, looks for well-rounded individuals already at the stage of their recruitment to the firm.

Other forms of support for role transitions, with an exception of career development, are not indicated. This is despite the psychological effects on an individual as well as relational effects on team dynamics and the firm–employee relationship that these transitions have.

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Koleša, I. (2021). International Staffing Approaches to International Assignment Challenges by Emerging Market Multinationals. In: Becoming an International Manager. Contributions to Management Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87395-0_6

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5 International Business Examples to Learn From

Conference table with a map of the world illustrating global business

29 Jun 2021

Despite the rise in geopolitical conflicts and concerns around global health in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic , international business continues to thrive. According to a Profile Tree report , about 70 percent of international trade involves global value chains—meaning different stages of production are located across different countries.

“There has never in the history of the world been a more exciting time to be conducting business across international borders,” says Harvard Business School Professor Forest Reinhardt in the course Global Business . “The opportunities are enormous—to make money, to learn more about the world, and to make the world a better place.”

If you’re interested in entering this exciting sector, here’s an overview of what international business is and what factors can help make your company successful.

Access your free e-book today.

What Is International Business?

The term international business refers to any business that operates across international borders. At its most basic, it includes the sale of goods and services between countries.

Yet, other forms of international business do exist. For example, a business that produces components or products overseas but sells them domestically can be considered an international business, as can an organization that outsources services, such as customer service, to locations where labor expenses are cheaper.

For most organizations, decisions around building, producing, and selling products or services are informed by many factors.

Cost is an important one because businesses that primarily operate in developed markets, like the United States and Europe, can often source cheaper labor abroad.

Other factors play a role in decision-making, too. For example, an organization that makes a conscious effort to become more sustainable may produce its product as close as possible to the end user to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to transportation, even if it might result in higher labor costs. Likewise, a business may take pride in sourcing local labor to create jobs and support the economy.

What Makes a Successful International Business?

Although international business can benefit the global economy, it also carries inherent risks. The fact that each country has its own government, regulations, inflation rates, and currency can complicate business models and must be weighed against the perceived benefits of operating internationally.

Some of the most common challenges of international businesses include language and cultural barriers, currency exchange rates, and foreign politics and policies.

“Although international business is extremely exciting, it can also be risky,” Reinhardt says in Global Business. “And it pays us to understand how to manage these risks.”

To be successful, international businesses must be resilient, adaptable, communicative, and resourceful. They need to have a deep understanding of international economics to anticipate how global markets will affect their bottom line and international marketing to effectively communicate their organization’s value to diverse audiences.

Are you interested in working with an international organization? Do you have plans and aspirations to take your business international?

Here are five well-known international businesses that have successfully—and not so successfully—navigated the global market.

Examples of International Businesses

Apple Inc., founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in the 1970s, is now considered one of the most influential international companies. Headquartered in the United States, Apple designs, develops, and sells electronics, software, streaming, and online services worldwide.

Apple opened its first international location in Tokyo, Japan, in 2003 after saturating the American market. Under Jobs, Apple touted ease-of-use, innovative design, and customer loyalty with the marketing slogan, “ Think Different ,” and it continues to use visionary strategic marketing and a tight ecosystem to overcome competition and attract creative audiences around the globe.

Apple not only sells products internationally but has supply chains from 43 countries that ship supplies to China for final production and assembly. By keeping a tight-knit and strong relationship with suppliers, strategic inventory, and a focus on sustainability, Apple stands as one of the world’s most successful companies.

2. Financial Times

The Financial Times is a formerly British daily newspaper that’s now owned by the Japanese holding company Nikkei. The Financial Times’ mission is to deliver unbiased, informed investment and economic information to empower individuals and companies to make secure investment decisions.

The Financial Times had a rocky start trying to break into the international market. Andrew Gilchrist, former managing director of the Financial Times , describes his experience at the publication in the online course Global Business .

During his tenure, the Financial Times prioritized entering the international market in India. Despite a large English-speaking population and strong government support, domestic journalism was considered culturally and legally suspect. In fact, the Financial Times was eventually tied up in legal knots because the local newspaper barons were able to challenge every move through the courts.

Eventually, the Financial Times’ attempt to go international in India led to an economic slowdown and sluggish company growth.

3. McDonald’s

Two brothers, Maurice and Richard McDonald, converted their drive-through barbecue restaurant in San Bernardino, California, into a burger and milkshake restaurant—now known as McDonald’s—in 1948.

The McDonald brothers focused on creating a better business system geared toward self-service and efficient and repeatable processes that relied on heating lamps instead of waiters. This model, known as “ Speedee ,” led to lower costs, cheaper products, and faster growth. It became the epitome of “fast food.”

Soon after, Ray Croc took McDonald’s a step further by bringing in franchisees and suppliers, leading to the creation of restaurants across the United States. McDonald’s model continued to expand, and, in 1967, the company opened locations in Canada and Puerto Rico .

McDonald’s has been internationally successful, thanks in large part to the consistency its business model allows. The fact that a Big Mac tastes the same regardless of which country you order it in is a testament to the company’s long history. Today, there are 38,000 restaurants in more than 120 countries.

4. Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola was created by pharmacist John Pemberton in 1886 at a soda fountain in Atlanta, Georgia. It was used as a tonic for common ailments due, in part, to the addition of cocaine and caffeine derived from the kola nut, which was a major ingredient at the time. (This was later removed from the recipe in 1903.)

Although popular at its inception, Coca-Cola became the company it is today because of the marketing and business leadership of Asa Griggs Candler and future investors, who dramatically increased sales and expanded syrup factory production into Canada.

Eventually, an independent bottle company licensed the rights to Coca-Cola’s syrup production and distribution, streamlining production and generating massive profits. Coca-Cola later remarketed for Germany, China, and India, and it’s now sold everywhere except Cuba and North Korea .

Coca-Cola currently has over 900 bottling and manufacturing facilities worldwide , many of which are in North America, Asia, and Africa.

H-E-B is a popular American grocery company with more than 340 stores in Texas and northeast Mexico. It was founded by Florence Butt in 1905 and expanded into Mexico in 1997.

The primary driver of international expansion wasn’t a desire to capture greater market share, but rather, a desire to gain access to foreign produce markets in warmer climates, from which the company could source produce during its domestic suppliers’ off-season in the northeastern United States.

Craig Boyan, president of H-E-B, explains in Global Business that, upon becoming an international business, H-E-B bought blueberries from Chile and Peru to sell year-round. Despite it being expensive to ship blueberry crates to Texas, this enabled the company to continue meeting its customers’ needs. Since then, production has increased with demand, especially in Mexico, which has an ideal climate to produce blueberries year-round. H-E-B now sources blueberries mostly from Mexico, making them more available and affordable for customers.

Global Business | Thrive in today's interconnected, global economy | Learn More

Why Study International Business?

Many global businesses succeed by expanding their markets, production operations, and supply chains internationally. But doing so requires savvy business leadership bolstered by economic knowledge, an understanding of markets, and the ability to learn political and cultural trends.

Furthering your education in global business is an effective way to gain these skills.

Acquiring them, along with experience, can lead to a successful career in global business. Some of these important skills include:

Strong communication skills
Emotional intelligence
Cultural awareness
Knowledge of finance and accounting
Entrepreneurship skills
Understanding of global economics

Which HBS Online Business in Society Course is Right for You? | Download Your Free Flowchart

Start Expanding Your Business Internationally

Regardless of the role, professionals must stay current on all business practices. A global business education provides a wide range of opportunities to create and capture value for organizations. To bring this value to the workplace, individuals need to understand the economic, political, and social factors that drive change and how decisions affect global markets .

Strategists and entrepreneurs should learn about the broader macroeconomic and political landscape of their organizations to grow their business internationally and manage global teams. Professionals in heavily regulated industries can also use this knowledge to develop approaches and frameworks to navigate their complex industries.

If you’re considering joining a global business or thinking about ways to expand your organization internationally, completing an online Global Business course is an excellent way to quickly gain those skills.

Are you interested in breaking into a global market? Sharpen your knowledge of the international business world with our four-week online course Global Business , and explore our other business in society courses. Not sure which is right for you? Download our free course flowchart .

This article was updated on April 23, 2024. It was originally published on June 29, 2021.

About the Author

18.7 The International Assignment

Learning objectives.

Describe how to prepare for an international assignment.
Discuss the acculturation process as an expatriate.
Describe effective strategies for living and working abroad.

Preparation

Points to consider include the following:

How flexible are you?
Do you need everything spelled out or can you go with the flow?
Can you adapt to new ways of doing business?
Are you interested in the host culture and willing to dedicate the time and put forth the effort to learn more about it?
What has been your experience to date working with people from distinct cultures?
What are your language skills at present, and are you interested in learning a new language?
Is your family supportive of the assignment?
How will it affect your children’s education? Your spouse’s career? Your career?
Will this assignment benefit your family?
How long are you willing to commit to the assignment?
What resources are available to help you prepare, move, and adjust?
Can you stand being out of the loop, even if you are in daily written and oral communication with the home office?
What is your relationship with your employer, and can it withstand the anticipated stress and tension that will result as not everything goes according to plan?
Is the cultural framework of your assignment similar to—or unlike—your own, and how ready are you to adapt to differences in such areas as time horizon, masculinity versus femininity, or direct versus indirect styles of communication?

Acculturation Process

Acculturation The transition to living abroad. , or the transition to living abroad, is often described as an emotional rollercoaster. Steven Rhinesmith Rhinesmith, S. (1984). Returning home . Ottawa, Canada: Canadian Bureau for International Education. provides ten steps that show the process of acculturation, including culture shock, that you may experience:

Initial anxiety
Initial elation
Initial culture shock
Superficial adjustment
Depression-frustration
Acceptance of host culture
Return anxiety
Return elation
Reentry shock
Reintegration

Living and Working Abroad

Be open and creative . People will eat foods that seem strange or do things in a new way, and your openness and creativity can play a positive role in your adjustment. Staying close to your living quarters or surrounding yourself with similar expats can limit your exposure to and understanding of the local cultures. While the familiar may be comfortable, and the new setting may be uncomfortable, you will learn much more about your host culture and yourself if you make the effort to be open to new experiences. Being open involves getting out of your comfort zone.
Be self-reliant . Things that were once easy or took little time may now be challenging or consume your whole day. Focus on your ability to resolve issues, learn new ways to get the job done, and be prepared to do new things.
Keep a balanced perspective . Your host culture isn’t perfect. Humans aren’t perfect, and neither was your home culture. Each location and cultural community has strengths you can learn from if you are open to them.
Be patient . Take your time, and know a silent period is normal. The textbook language classes only provide a base from which you will learn how people who live in the host country actually communicate. You didn’t learn to walk in a day and won’t learn to successfully navigate this culture overnight either.
Be a student and a teacher . You are learning as the new member of the community, but as a full member of your culture, you can share your experiences as well.
Be an explorer . Get out and go beyond your boundaries when you feel safe and secure. Traveling to surrounding villages, or across neighboring borders, can expand your perspective and help you learn.
Protect yourself . Always keep all your essential documents, money, and medicines close to you, or where you know they will be safe. Trying to source a medicine in a country where you are not fluent in the language, or where the names of remedies are different, can be a challenge. Your passport is essential to your safety and you need to keep it safe. You may also consider vaccination records, birth certificates, or business documents in the same way, keeping them safe and accessible. You may want to consider a “bug-out bag,” with all the essentials you need, including food, water, keys, and small tools, as an essential part of planning in case of emergency.

Key Takeaways

Preparation is key to a successful international assignment. Living and working abroad takes time, effort, and patience.

Research one organization in a business or industry that relates to your major and has an international presence. Find a job announcement or similar document that discusses the business and its international activities. Share and compare with classmates.
Conduct a search on expat networks including online forum. Briefly describe your findings and share with classmates.
What would be the hardest part of an overseas assignment for you and why? What would be the easiest part of an overseas assignment for you and why?
Find an advertisement for an international assignment. Note the qualifications, and share with classmates.
Find an article or other first-person account of someone’s experience on an international assignment. Share your results with your classmates.

COMMENTS

Delivering A Successful International Assignment
International assignment structures. As well as clarity of objectives, a successful international assignment also requires clarity of contractual terms, both to manage the expectations and understanding of the assignee, and also for the mobility team to identify support needs and potential risks. Now more than ever, organisations are developing ...
Managing International Assignments
An international assignment agreement that outlines the specifics of the assignment and documents agreement by the employer and the expatriate is necessary. ... For example, Mercer produces ...
A Successful International Assignment Depends on These Factors
A Successful International Assignment Depends on These Factors. by. Boris Groysberg. and. Robin Abrahams. February 13, 2014. The prospect of an international assignment can be equal parts ...
PDF International Assignment Handbook
An international assignment is generally initiated by the host country to serve a business need. The cost and complexity of an international assignment makes it essential that PepsiCo selects the most suitable candidate. If appropriate, you will be assessed against the requirements of the role in the host country, in addition to
Effective Training for International Assignments
Studies have shown that international assignments are more effective when the employee's family is included and consulted in the relocation and training processes. ... differences involving common human interactions, such as greetings, gender relations, and the giving of gifts. For example, Asian business people defer to authority very ...
5 Tips for Managing Successful Overseas Assignments
5 Tips for Managing Successful Overseas Assignments. Sending talented employees overseas can be a promising way to leverage the benefits of a global economy. But expatriate assignments can be ...
International assignment
An international assignment is an overseas task set by a company to an employee. Companies that engage in international assignments are mainly multinational corporations (MNCs). MNCs send employees from the home country to a different country for business operations at overseas offices or subsidiaries. [1] These employees are called expatriates.
10 Tips for Managing Successful International Assignments
Families and spouses need to be prepared for the changes. New relationships will need to be built in the workplace and a new structure fitted into. Going with realistic expectations is better than plunging into international assignments unprepared, and having it turn out to be a disappointment. 4. Prepare for cultural immersion.
The International Assignment
An international assignment is not like a domestic move or reassignment. Within the same country, even if there are significantly different local customs in place, similar rules, laws, and ways of doing business are present. In a foreign country, you will lose those familiar traditions and institutions and have to learn many new ways of ...
7 Strategies for a Successful International Work Assignment
Below are 7 tips to make the most of your journey abroad. 1. Keep an Open Mind. Social media and the internet allows us to connect with people from all over the world. Take time to learn about the history of your new home, including any local customs or laws, so you can set more realistic expectations ahead of time.
International Assignment Agreement: Definition & Sample
What is an International Assignment Agreement? An international assignment agreement is a contract between an employer and employee that formally assigns the latter to a position in a foreign country. Several pieces of important information are contained within this contract, such as where the assignment is, how travel and lodging costs will be ...
Managing International Assignments & Compensation
A new international assignment landscape is challenging traditional compensation approaches. For many years, expatriate compensation has been focused on a dilemma: having assignees on expensive home-based expatriate package versus localization - which is about replacing expatriates with locals or at least transition expatriates from an expatriate package to a local salary.
International Assignments
Introduction. International assignments are an integral part of the current state of the world due to globalization. Businesses and companies seek to expand their territory across boundaries and thereby target a larger market share. We will write a custom essay on your topic. 812 writers online.
International Assignment Management: Expatriate Policy and Procedure
Upon assignment completion the company will arrange and pay for the Ex-pat's cargo shipment. An Ex-pat with 3 or more children will be eligible for a 40-foot container insured for up to $40K (US ...
7 advantages of sending employees on international assignments
6. Boost team confidence by showing your trust. Encouraging your team members to apply for international assignments is a clear endorsement and show of trust. This might not be a sales manager's top priority, but it may well impact staff satisfaction and long-term retention. According to a survey from Kimble Applications, 72% of employees (in ...
Lessons from an international assignment
For example, the way you interact with a Chinese company is completely different from an Indian one. Individuals can interpret situations very differently. Early during my assignment in Hong Kong, after a meeting where we were assigned tasks for a particular project, I asked an executive for a status update prior to the due date.
International Assignments: Who's Going Where and Why?
Motivating Factors. When asked for the main reasons why employees accepted an international assignment, companies said that while attractive compensation was named by a third of respondents (34 ...
PDF International assignment perspectives*
International Assignment Perspectives is a collection of thought leadership articles that explore current issues requiring the attention of today's HR leaders and tax directors who manage a globally mobile workforce. This publication from PricewaterhouseCoopers' International Assignment Services practice shares insights on a number of topics
International Staffing Approaches to International Assignment
Human resources management-related posts on sample firms' corporate websites: ... Other more specific purposes of long-term international assignments in Firm B centre on (1) the introduction of headquarters' principles of doing business to the foreign entities, (2) control over the manager and foreign entity from the headquarters (for risk ...
Full article: The organizational value of international assignments
The organizational value of international assignments (IAs), is unclear and rarely measured by organizations. We argue that taking a relational perspective may enable a greater understanding of the value of IAs to organizations. A relational perspective involves focusing upon the relationship between the home and host organizations ...
5 International Business Examples to Learn From
Examples of International Businesses. 1. Apple. Apple Inc., founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in the 1970s, is now considered one of the most influential international companies. Headquartered in the United States, Apple designs, develops, and sells electronics, software, streaming, and online services worldwide.
PDF Navigating expat assignment lifecycle challenges
The expat lifecycle. International assignments don't begin and end at airports. Instead, they begin with preparation and end with repatriation, cycling through five distinct phases along the way. Of course, international assignments often include air travel, but the turbulence doesn't only happen 36,000 feet up.
Technical Officer (Hlth Sys. Strengthening for Immunization)
Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow ...
The International Assignment
An international assignment is not like a domestic move or reassignment. Within the same country, even if there are significantly different local customs in place, similar rules, laws, and ways of doing business are present. In a foreign country, you will lose those familiar traditions and institutions and have to learn many new ways of ...

Delivering A Successful International Assignment

IN THIS SECTION

This article covers:

Assignee remuneration

Immigration options

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10 Tips for Managing Successful International Assignments

1. Make a business case for international assignments

2. Consider the individual’s position

3. Manage expectations

4. Prepare for cultural immersion

5. Arrange mentoring schemes

6. Encourage a positive attitude

7. Offer language training

8. Keep communication focused

9. Provide support for sufferers of culture shock

10. Remember that reintegrating is just as important

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Intercultural and International Business Communication

Preparation

Acculturation Process

Living and Working Abroad

KEY TAKEAWAYS

7 Strategies for a Successful International Work Assignment

International Assignment Agreement

Common Sections in International Assignment Agreements

International Assignment Agreement Sample

Who Helps With International Assignment Agreements?

Meet some of our International Assignment Agreement Lawyers

Angelica M.

Danielle G.

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Managing International Assignments: Compensation Approaches

Step 1: Understand the options available

Step 2: Assessing assignment patterNs and business objectives

Step 3: Assess segmentation needs

Example of segmented compensation approach: the four-box model

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Related Articles

International Assignments Term Paper

Introduction

Lessons from an international assignment

Philippe Bourguignon

What have you learned?

What advice would you give to others based on your experience?

John Doumani

Philip Earl

What people leadership insights have you gained?

Conrado Engel

What personal or professional lessons from your international experience have remained with you?

Kirk Kinsell

What personal or professional lessons have remained with you?

What advice would you give others based on your experience?

Murilo Portugal

What personal or professional lessons from the experience have remained with you?

Reuse Permissions

International Assignments: Who's Going Where and Why?

Assignee Demographics

Most and Least Desirable Locations for Assignments

Motivating Factors

Qualifying Criteria

Linking Talent Management and Global Mobility

Sequential Assignments Rising

Repatriation Lacking

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