Why International Assignments Fail

This article presents an experiential exercise that focuses on issues related to workers facing international assignments. It illustrates that those workers face a multitude of issues. It further demonstrates that managers who want employees to realize the maximum benefits of international assignments should be aware of, and be prepared to deal with, those issues. Some of the topics that are easily addressed with this exercise include the need for culture and language training for the employees and their families, the impact that international assignments may have on an employee's family, and how that may affect an employee's willingness to seek such assignments. The expatriate finds that, after a seemingly open conversation about improvements to be made, the local manager who reports to him doesn�t show up for work for 2 days. In meetings, his local staff thinks it is acceptable to spend hours talking on and on until every possible issue is agreed to by everyone. If the expatriate manager is to be successful, he will need to learn how to adapt to concepts such as �saving face� (the cause of the local manager not showing up for work) and �building consensus� that are important in Asia.

He also needs to realize that transforming his new staff into Americans or Europeans has been tried a million times and it doesn�t work. All expatriates maneuver a narrow path between accepting local conventions on one side and aspiring to international standards on the other.

Southeast Asia has a rich variety of cultures. The differences in religion are one example. Thailand is graciously Buddhist, Indonesia is gently (but intensely) Islamic and Philippines is completely Catholic. As for Singaporeans, some say their only religion is work. Managing such varied peoples obviously requires different tactics.

Emotional Immaturity

In their home countries, most expatriates are middle-managers with relatively ordinary lives. Once relocated to Asia, they are suddenly thrust into the national spotlight as the Country Manager of a multinational organization. They have more people reporting to them than ever and often have more control over them.

On the personal front, they may have household servants for the first time, are called upon to meet senior government officials and are generally made to feel important. Further, the expatriate may be attracting enthusiastic attention of certain local females seeking their own type of fame and fortune by landing a high-status foreign husband or boyfriend.