Week 5 - International Training & Development

Question 1

How important is training and development for organisational performance?

Answer 1

Some evidence:

• empirical study of training policy in the hotel industry in Spain identified T&D and human capital development as a source of differentiation and competitive advantage (Ubeda-Garcia et al., 2013)

Question 2

How important is training and development for HR performance?

Answer 2

Some evidence:

• the higher the average number of training hours delivered for employees, the greater was their knowledge & commitment to their employing organisation (Vidal-Salazar et al., 2012)

Question 3

How significant is expatriate training and development at an organisational and individual level?

Answer 3

Organisational level: it can reduce international assignment failure rates by minimizing problems of adjustment

Individual level: provides progression opportunities and enhances overall career prospects

Question 4

Draw the international training and development flow chart

Answer 4

Lecture 5 notes

Question 5

Identify the different features of expatriate preparation

Answer 5

• Visits to the host country
• Briefings by host-country managers (informal and firm specific)
• In-house management programs
• Training in local negotiation techniques
• Analysis of behavioural practices that have proven most effective
• Cross-cultural training

Question 6

What do expatriate training programs cover?

Answer 6

• The nature of the assignment
• The use of any equipment/technology
• The institutional framework of the host-country
• Cultural issues

Question 7

What is cross-cultural training?

Answer 7

The educative processes used to improve intercultural learning via the development of the cognitive, affective and behavioural competencies needed for successful interactions in diverse cultures (Littrell et al., 2006)

Question 8

What are the objectives of cross-cultural training?

Answer 8

1) Learning to learn (how we can change as individuals)
2) Making isomorphic attributions
3) Overcoming difficulties
4) Developing positive relationships
5) Accomplishing work related tasks
6) Coping with stressors

Question 9

What do CCT environmental briefings cover?

Answer 9

Information about things such as geography, climate, housing and school

Question 10

What does a CCT cultural orientation involve?

Answer 10

Familiarising the individual with cultural institutions and value systems of the host country

Question 11

What are CCT cultural assimilators?

Answer 11

Programmed learning techniques designed to expose members of one culture to some of the basic concepts, attitudes, role perceptions, customs, and values of another culture

Question 12

Explain what CCT language training involves

Answer 12

Moving beyond working proficiency to more informal ways of communicating

Question 13

What does gaining CCT field experience involve?

Answer 13

Send participant to the country of assignment to undergo some of the emotional stress of living and working with people from a different culture

Question 14

What is CCT sensitivity training?

Answer 14

Develop attitudinal flexibility

Question 15

Draw Mendenhall, Dunbar and Oddou’s cross-cultural training model

Answer 15

Lecture 5 notes

Question 16

What are the emerging issues related to CCT?

Answer 16

• Over-reliance on pre-departure training (need on-going support from HQ)
• ‘Real time’ training
• Assessment centres
• Self-training (ability to absorb information and pick relevant things to learn about their international assignment)
• International job rotation (don’t need to wait until there is a need to train someone)

Question 17

Why do some MNCs neglect CCT?

Answer 17

There is an untested premise that managerial effectiveness is cross-culturally transferrable

Question 18

Managerial efficacy, leadership and adjustability are not the only factors determining the success of an international assignment…

Answer 18

e.g. on-going support from HQ during the assignment

• other factors are involved that you can’t measure
  e. g. expatriate environment (friends & family)
  e. g. institutional and political environment

Question 19

What are the 6 cross-cultural training programmes commonly used?

Answer 19

Environmental briefings
Cultural orientation
Cultural assimilators
Language training
Field Experience
Sensitivity training