1. Recruiting and selecting staff for international assignments
Chapter 4
Recruiting and selecting staff for international assignments

2. Chapter objectives
In Part I, we demonstrated how people play a central role in
sustaining international operations. As international assignments are an important vehicle for staffing, it is critical that they are managed effectively, and the expatriates are supported so that performance outcomes are achieved. The focus of this chapter, then, is on recruitment and selection activities in an international context. We will address the following issues:
the myth of the global manager
the debate surrounding expatriate failure
(cont.)

3. Chapter objectives (cont.)
factors moderating intent to stay or leave the international assignment
selection criteria for international assignments
dual-career couples
are female expatriates different?

4. The global manager Myth 1: there is a universal approach to management
Myth 2: People can acquire multicultural adaptability and behaviors
Myth 3: There are common characteristics shared by successful international managers
Myth 4: There are no impediments to mobility

5. Table 4-1: Current expatriate profile

6. Expatriate failure Definition: Premature return of an expatriate
Now recognized that under-performance during an international assignment, and retention upon completion, should be included

7. Expatriate failure What is the magnitude of the phenomenon?
Suggestion of a falling rate compared with early (1980s) studies
Evidence is somewhat inconclusive
Discussion about its magnitude has drawn attention to expatriate failure and prompted considerable research into its causes

8. Expatriate failure
Direct costs of failure: airfares, associated relocation expenses, and salary and training
Varies according to level of position concerned
Country of destination
Exchange rates
Whether ‘failed’ manager is replaced by another expatriate

9. Expatriate failure Indirect costs (invisible)
Damaged relationships with key stakeholders in the foreign location
Negative effects on local staff
Negative effects on expatriate concerned
Family relationships may be affected

10. Factors moderating expatriate performance
Inability to adjust to the foreign culture
Length of assignment
Willingness to move
Work-related factors
Psychological contract

11. Figure 4-1: International assignments: factors moderating performance

12. Figure 4-2: The phases of cultural adjustment

13. The phases of adjustment
The U-Curve is not normative
The time period involved varies between individuals
The U-Curve does not explain how and why people move through the various phases
It may be more cyclical than a U-Curve
Needs to consider repatriation

14. Figure 4-3: The dynamics of the employment relationship

15. The employment relationship
The nature of the employment relationship
Relational: broad, open-ended and long-term obligations
Transactional: specific short-term monetized obligations
The condition of the relationship
Intact: when employee considers there has been fair treatment, reciprocal trust
Violated: provoked by belief organization has not fulfilled its obligations

16. Figure 4-4: Likelihood of exit

17. Organizational commitment
Affective component: employee’s attachment to, identification with and involvement in, the organization
Continuance component: based on assessed costs associated with exiting the organization
Normative component: refers to employee’s feelings of obligation to remain

18. Why consider the psychological contract?
Nature, location and duration of an international assignment may provoke intense, individual reactions to perceived violations
Expatriates tend to have broad, elaborate, employment relationships with greater emphasis on relational nature
Expectations and promises underpin this relationship

19. Selection criteria Technical ability Cross-cultural suitability
Family requirements
Country-cultural requirements
MNE requirements
Language

20. Figure 4-5: Factors in expatriate selection

21. Mendenhall and Oddou Model
Self-oriented dimension
Perceptual dimension
Others-oriented dimension
Cultural-toughness dimension

22. Table 4-2: Harris and Brewster’s selection typology

23. Solutions to the dual-career challenge
Alternative assignment arrangements
Short-term
Commuter
Other (eg. unaccompanied, virtual)
Family-friendly policies
Inter-company networking
Job-hunting assistance
Intra-company employment
On-assignment career support

24. Table 4-3: Barriers to females taking international assignments

25. Chapter summary
This chapter has addressed key issues affecting recruitment and selection for international assignments. We have covered:
Four myths related to the concept of a global manager – that there is a universal approach to management; that people can acquire multicultural adaptability and behaviors; that there are common characteristics successful international managers share; and that there are no impediments to mobility.
The debate surrounding the definition and magnitude of expatriate failure.
(cont.)

26. Chapter summary (cont.)
Cultural adjustment and other moderating factors affecting expatriate intent to stay and performance. These included duration of the assignment, willingness to move, work-related factors and the employment relationship.
Individual and situational factors to be considered in the selection decision. Evaluation of the common criteria used revealed the difficulty of selecting the right candidate for an international assignment and the importance of including family considerations in the selection process.
(cont.)

27. Chapter summary (cont.)
Dual-career couples as a barrier to staff mobility, and the techniques that multinationals are utilizing to overcome this constraint.
Female expatriates and whether they face different issues to their male counterparts.
It is also clear that, while our appreciation of the issues surrounding
expatriate recruitment and selection has deepened in the past 20 years, much remains to be explored. The field is dominated by US research into predominantly US samples of expatriates, although there has been an upsurge in interest from European academics and practitioners.
(cont.)

28. Chapter summary (cont.)
Will the factors affecting the selection decision be similar for multinationals emerging from countries such as China and India?
If more multinationals are to encourage subsidiary staff to consider international assignments as part of an intra-organizational network approach to management, we will need further understanding of how valid the issues discussed in this chapter are for all categories of staff from different country locations.
Another area that remains ignored is the selection of non-expatriates, that is, the international business travelers we discussed in Chapter 3. In our survey of current literature, there is a paucity of recognition of this group.
(cont.)

29. Chapter summary (cont.)
The various consulting firm surveys conducted into relocation trends in 2002 that we draw on in this chapter indicate that more multinationals are resorting to replacing traditional assignments with business travel as a way of overcoming staff immobility. Likewise, there is a need for further work into the performance–selection link surrounding non-standard assignments, including commuter and virtual assignments.

30. Chapter summary (cont.)
It is apparent, though, that staff selection remains critical. Finding the right people to fill positions, particularly key managers – whether PCN, TCN or HCN – can determine international expansion. However, effective recruitment and selection are only the first step. As we will explore in the next chapter, maintaining and retaining productive staff are equally important.