Managing the Expatriate Manager

Paper Summary:

Globalization is one of the major trends in the business environment, with companies increasingly looking to enter global markets. This creates a need for companies to manage international operations effectively. One option is to send an employee to the foreign location to live and work, with this manager known as an expatriate manager. This process has significant advantages and disadvantages, including the fact that it often fails. However, a closer look at the process in this paper shows that problems can be effectively prevented. This requires being aware of potential problems, selecting the right employee to take on the role of expatriate and preparing the expatriate and their family for the experience. To consider this further, the advantages and disadvantages of an expatriate are considered in the paper. This is followed by a discussion of how an expatriate can be selected and effectively prepared for the role.

From the Paper:

"A high-context culture is defined as one "in which communication is used to enhance personal relationships" (Daft, 1997, p. 475). Asian and Arab nations are examples of high-context cultures. A low-context culture is defined as one "in which communication is used to exchange facts and information" (Daft, 1997, p. 475). Germany, England and the United States are examples of low-context cultures. These differences mean that two people can attempt to communicate and yet receive completely different messages. For example, an American expatriate may speak to a Japanese businessman in the hope of developing a working relationship. The American may talk about business, while the Japanese businessman makes idle conversation. The American may see this as the Japanese avoiding the conversation, while not realizing that the Japanese businessman is trying to develop a relationship. The end result can be failure and frustration."

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