Week 7 - International Mobility & Global Careers Flashcards
Define the traditional notion of a career
A succession of related jobs arranged in a hierarchy of prestige, through which persons move in a more or less predictable sequence
- Based on assumptions
- Each step has been pre-determined by the management
What are the key features of a traditional career?
- Movement through a fixed, hierarchical series of jobs within an organisation over time
- Straightforward links with HRM succession planning, training, appraisal
- Linked to length of service, age, ability/performance
What are the features of boundaryless careers?
- Shaped by company and individual
- transcend the boundaries of different employers
- draw validity & marketability from outside the present employing organisation (how they are perceived outside their organisation)
- are sustained and supported by external networks
examples = management consultants, expatriates
Define physical mobility in respect to boundaryless careers?
Actual movement between jobs, organisations, occupations and countries
Define psychological mobility in respect to boundaryless careers?
Person’s perception of careers and their beliefs about how much they are constrained by them or can transcend them
What are the features of a protean career?
- Individuals construct their own careers
- Importance of personal value systems in shaping career decisions
- Subjective notions of success
- Sources of development are work challenges and relationships, not necessarily training programmes
Define what a protean career is?
Careers in which the individual, not the organisation, is in charge. The core values are freedom and growth, and the main success criteria are subjective (psychological) vs objective (salary)
e.g. actor, screenwriter, entrepreneurs, small business owners
Compare employee/employer expectations for traditional vs contemporary careers?
TRADITIONAL
- employee gives loyalty, commitment to the organisation
- in return, organisation gives development, security, advancement (e.g. bureaucratic organisations)
CONTEMPORARY
- employee commitment to self rather than the organisation
- organisations support for ‘employability’ (e.g. investment banks)
- Move from a ‘relational’ to a ‘transactional’ relationship
Define the two definitions of what a global career is and explain
“The series of events, experiences and actions embedded in the global interaction between an individual and an organisation”
- It assumes a more traditional career path where the career enfolds within a single organisation
“Frequent international relocations over the course of their working lives” (can be over many organisations, industries or regions)
- Career is boundaryless or protean
In order for MNCs to utilize the benefits of international experience…
…they should ensure that repatriates stay with them upon return from their international postings
- Unfortunately many MNCs complain of disturbingly low retention rates & characterize repatriation as one of their greatest human resource challenges
Many expats have expectations of career advancement upon return, however many experience the ‘out of sight’, ‘out of mind’ effect.
Define the fustrated repatriate
Perceptions of underemployment & lack of career-related support lead to higher turnover intentions
Define the proactive repatriate
Repatriates quit their companies upon return only to accept jobs that were more satisfactory and lucrative
What are the challenges associated with repatriation?
- returning home from a foreign assignment can be challenging as initially going overseas
- changes in personal finances can be dramatic upon return
- readjustment to home-country corporate structure poses problems
- readjusting to life at home can be extremely stressful
- cultural shock (different to when they left)
- difficult to restart a life in your country of origin
What are the best practices that expatriates can do to boost the success of returning home?
- ask whether there is a repatriation programme in place
- talk about post-assignment job prospects before leaving
- stay in touch with mentors/senior colleagues
- ask for a formal pre-repatriation briefing
- plan to visit home several times during the final stages
- sign a ‘repatriation agreement’ (salary, rewards, etc)
What are the core elements of global mobility programmes (GMP)?
- ensure strategic alignment
- understand different geographic & job demands (formal approach to expatriation)
- define expatriation-repatriation cycles
- develop support practices
- monitor programmes
