Assessing Managers for International Competence

Written by Brenda Townsend Hall


How do you select staff for international assignments? It's an important question because, no matter how effective and successful your employees may be at home, they cannot be guaranteedrepparttar same performance in a different culture unless they can demonstrate some key competencies and these may be quite different fromrepparttar 146233 competencies they need to succeed in their own environment.

To begin with they need to be receptive torepparttar 146234 host culture. This will mean that when they face new ideas, new ways of working, new people, different values, they can accept these as different but valid. If they go withrepparttar 146235 firm belief that their own way of doing things isrepparttar 146236 only way, if they are suspicious ofrepparttar 146237 new people they meet, and if they cannot respectrepparttar 146238 values of their host culture, they will simply engender hostility, fear and antagonism—hardlyrepparttar 146239 best climate for a successful team effort.

Building on that receptiveness, they will have to be sufficiently adaptable to blend intorepparttar 146240 local style of doing things. Take working hours. Mediterranean cultures often have early starts, long lunch breaks and late finishes. It's a timetable that takes some getting used to because that lunchtime break really does need to be a time when you wind down and rest, otherwiserepparttar 146241 working day and its related stresses will occupy every waking minute. Not everybody is capable of adapting their natural rhythms to this. Employees with family commitments may also find it very hard, so in assessingrepparttar 146242 suitability of somebody for an overseas position, you need to ensure that their family is fully supportive ofrepparttar 146243 move.

It is also essential to be able to take an objective view ofrepparttar 146244 host culture and not to judge new colleagues. For example, a manager who moves to a culture in whichrepparttar 146245 normal working environment is very hierarchical should not be surprised if individuals lack initiative. What may seem a negative quality from a British perspective could well be a strength inrepparttar 146246 local context.

Given thatrepparttar 146247 new environment could make yours manager feel like fish out of water, it is important for them to have clarity of vision. As they facerepparttar 146248 many hurdles that arise fromrepparttar 146249 different ways of working and living that characterizerepparttar 146250 new environment, they will have to be able keep a hold on their purpose for being there. They will need to let that vision drive their actions so that progress towardsrepparttar 146251 required goals is maintained despiterepparttar 146252 obstacles. And part of this clarity of vision should be pre-assignment awareness ofrepparttar 146253 new culture and its framework so that they are prepared for what they will find and have thought of some coping strategies.

Strength is a weakness... also

Written by Arvind kumar


McDonald’s becomerepparttar largest national fast – food chain in eighties. They had found their perfect recipe for success. And they were all out to defend their turf comerepparttar 146223 hell. McDonald strength wasrepparttar 146224 hamburger, its uniformity instant delivery and inexpensiveness.

The advertising said aboutrepparttar 146225 top ofrepparttar 146226 live,repparttar 146227 Big Mac: “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun.”

What should berepparttar 146228 best strategy to attack a leader, who is all out to defend his ground?

Simple, changerepparttar 146229 battle ground and rules itself. Studyrepparttar 146230 leader and take 180° about turn and walk and choose your own ground to launch an attack.

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