Lecture 4: Global Talent Management

Question 1

What does ethnocentric means?

Answer 1

• Home country-oriented
• Headquarters are from the home country
• Home country policies and practices
• replicate home country culture, knowledge
• consistency across units (subsidiaries)

Question 2

What does polycentric mean?

Answer 2

• Host country-oriented
• managers are from hos country, they report to the home country, but usually, have freedom of decision
• no exact corporate culture
• HR practices are adopted from the parent company to the new environment

Question 3

What does geocentric mean?

Answer 3

• a more collaborative approach in between parent and subordinates
• facilitates the development of an international team
• two-way communication
• looks for the best person in a job regardless of the country

Question 4

Global integration

Answer 4

• requires controlling polices to ensure uniformity
• likely to restrict local creativity and development
• as time goes on more and more control is needed

Question 5

Local responsiveness

Answer 5

• allows more autonomy at the local level, but also puts the company more at risk for a global brand to be diluted
• if global co-ordination is important, differentiation can put it at risk

Question 6

Factors that influence the decision on which strategy to choose?

Answer 6

• Parent company international strategy
• Top managers beliefs ( philosophy, culture)
• Company country of origin ( US and Japan tends to have more centralized control)
• Type of industry
• nature of the subsidiary country ( available workforce..)

Question 7

How can an exportive company strategy aligned with international strategy?

Answer 7

• Aligned with ethnocentric strategy
• High internal but low external consistency
• transfer of HR practices from HQ ( pest practices)

Question 8

How can an adaptive company strategy aligned with international strategy?

Answer 8

• aligned with polycentric (regional centric) strategy
• Local HR reflects the local environment ( pest fit)
• low internal consistency with HQ, but high external with an environment

Question 9

How can an integrative company strategy aligned with international strategy?

Answer 9

• aligned with geocentric strategy
• focuses on local integration with some reflection of global needs
• takes the best from HQ and local situation ( balancing best practices and best fit)

Question 10

Where do all tree strategies lie on a spectrum

Answer 10

( local responsiveness) ADAPTIVE HRM —–> INTEGRATIVE —–> EXPORTIVE (global integration)

Question 11

General factors for ex-pat success

Answer 11

• cross-cultural intelligence ( cultural self-efficacy and cult. extrinsic motivation)
• relational skills
• flexibility and adaptability
• family situation
• cultural openness
• consciousness
• extraversion
• agreeableness
• previous experience

Question 12

more specific factors for expats

Answer 12

• if the partner is adjusted they will be less likely to adjust
• minority status at home leads to faster acculturation

Question 13

outcomes of acculturation

Answer 13

• better well-beeing (when strong diversity climate)

- less likely to quit ( when high cultural intelligence)

Question 14

Components of cross cultural intelegence

Answer 14

• Cultural self-efficacy

- Cultural intrinsic motivation

Question 15

What of big 5 are responsible for expat success

Answer 15

• conscientiousness -higher performers

- Extraversion and agreeableness- less likely to terminate the assignment early

Question 16

How can we help people to adjust and adapt?

Answer 16

• career support
• financial support
• adjustment support

Question 17

What helps and hurts adjustment

Answer 17

• Challenge stressors help

- Hindrance stressors hurt ( role ambiguity, conflict..)

Question 18

Developing adaptive skills (self dimension)

Answer 18

1) self dimension
- replacing fun at-home activities to similar once in a new country (stress reduction)
- building one’s confidence in their ability ( self-efficacy)

Question 19

Developing adaptive skills

Answer 19

• relationship development

- willingness to communicate (language and cultural awareness)

Question 20

What predicts the development of adaptive skills?

Answer 20

willingness, capability, and desire to relate

Question 21

Preception dimension

Answer 21

• ability to understand why people behave the way they do
• correct attributions
• cultural awareness
• cultural skills can be trained ( ability to be not-judgmental)

Question 22

Cultural toughness dimension

Answer 22

• some cultures are harder to adjust to

- no individual or gender differences have been found

Question 23

Reading Winfred, Winston

What was found to be the best predictor of success?

Answer 23

• family situation

Recommendation: including a spouse into cultural training

Question 24

Developing adaptive skills dimensions

Answer 24

1. self dimension
   reinforcement substitutions- finding replacement for activities at home
   stress reduction- finding comfort zone (meditation)
   technical competencies- building confidence in the new position
2. Relational dimension- ability to develop long-lasting relationships
   willingness to comunicate- also very influenced by ability and confidence in-country language ( willingness, ability and desire to relate)
3. preception dimension- the ability to understand why foreigners behave the way they do
   cultural awareness and ability to be non-judgmental can be trained
4. cultural toughness dimension
   ability to withstand differences in cultures – this is particularly necessary when the cultures are very different