Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Practice with Potential: Expatriate Cross-Cultural Training Among Irish MNCs

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
International Human Resources Management

Part of the book series: Management and Industrial Engineering ((MINEN))

Abstract

Despite a number of often cited advantages attaching to the implementation of cross-cultural training (CCT) programmes in preparing expatriate employees, research indicates that the amount of training undertaken can be modest. This chapter explores the use, role and perceived value of expatriate CCT in developing an expatriate management talent pool in internationalised Irish-owned MNCs. Drawing upon qualitative data from in-depth interviews conducted in twelve Irish MNCs, we highlight the uneven approach among MNCs to the provision of cross-cultural training largely arising from the urgency associated with many international assignments and the sporadic nature of these transfers. Despite this, all interviewees demonstrated an awareness of the potential value of CCT, and a majority openly articulated the potential of a formalised CCT initiative in supporting the expatriates’ likely success when on assignment. Where training interventions were provided, we unearthed a preference for a combination of cognitive and experiential approaches. Chief among the perceived benefits of CCT were its role in structuring expectations and its capacity to facilitate some cultural mastery.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Zaheer, S. (1995). Overcoming the liability of foreignness. Academy of Management Journal, 38(2), 341–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Shenkar, O. (2001). Cultural distance revisited: Towards a more rigorous conceptualization and measurement of cultural differences. Journal of International Business Studies, 32(3), 519–536.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Van Vianen, A. E. M., De Pater, I. E., Kristof-Brown, A. L., & Johnson, E. C. (2004). Fitting in: Surface and deep-level cultural differences and expatriates adjustment. Academy of Management Journal, 47(5), 697–709.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Takeuchi, R. (2010). A critical review of expatriate adjustment research through a multiple stakeholder view: Progress, emerging trends, and prospects. Journal of Management, 36(4), 1040–1064.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Nolan, E. M., & Morley, M. J. (2014). A test of the relationship between person-environment fit and cross-cultural adjustment among self-initiated expatriates. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(11), 1631–1649.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Morley, M. J., & Cerdin, J. L. (2010). Intercultural competence in the international business arena. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 25(8), 805–809.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Caligiuri, P., Lazarova, M., & Tarique, I. (2005). Training, learning and development in multinational organisations. In H. Scullion & M. Linehan (Eds.), International human resource management: A critical text (pp. 71–90). Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Parkinson, E., & Morley, M. (2006). Cross-cultural training. In H. Scullion & D. G. Collings (Eds.), Global Staffing (pp. 117–138). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Torbiorn, I. (1982). Living abroad: Personal adjustment and personnel policy in the overseas setting. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Yan, A., Zhu, G., & Hall, D. (2002). International assignments for career building: A model of agency relationships and psychological contracts. Academy of Management Review, 27(3), 373–391.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Morley, M. J., & Scullion, H. (2004). International HRM: In retrospect and prospect. Employee Relations, 26(6), 583–594.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Dickmann, M., & Harris, H. (2005). Developing career capital for global careers: The role of international assignments. Journal of World Business, 40(2), 399–408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Friedman, V., & Berthoin Antal, A. (2005). Negotiating reality: A theory of action approach to intercultural competence. Management Learning, 36(1), 69–86.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Caligiuri, P., & Tarique, I. (2009). Predicting effectiveness in global leadership activities. Journal of World Business, 44(3), 336–346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Morley, M. J., Scullion, H., Collings, D. G., & Schuler, R. S. (2015). Talent management: A capital question. European Journal of International Management (in press).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Aycan, Z. (1997). Expatriate adjustment as a multifaceted phenomenon: individual and organizational level predictors. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 8(4), 434–456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Garten, J. (1997). The big ten: The emerging markets and how they will change our lives. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Hutchings, K. (2003). Cross-cultural preparation of Australian expatriates in organisations in China: The need for greater attention to training. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 20(3), 375–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Collings, D. G., Scullion, H., & Morley, M. J. (2007). Changing patterns of global staffing in the multinational enterprise: Challenges to the conventional expatriate assignment and emerging alternatives. Journal of World Business, 42(2), 198–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Li, S., & Scullion, H. (2010). Developing the local competence of expatriate managers for emerging markets: A knowledge-based approach. Journal of World Business, 45(2), 190–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Okpara, J. O., & Kabongo, J. D. (2011). Cross-cultural training and expatriate adjustment: A study of western expatriates in Nigeria. Journal of World Business, 46(1), 22–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Brookfield Global Relocation Services. (2013). Global Relocation Trends Survey. Woodridge, Illinois, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Horwitz, F. M., Budhwar, P., & Morley, M. J. (2015). Future trends in human resource management in the emerging markets. In F. M. Horwitz & P. Budhwar (Eds.), Handbook of human resource management in the emerging markets. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing (in press).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Scullion, H. (1994). Staffing policies and strategic control in British multinationals. International Studies of Management and Organization, 24(3), 18–35.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Scullion, H., & Donnelly, N., (1998). International human resource management: recent developments in Irish multinationals. In W. K. Roche, K. Monks & J. Walsh (Eds.), Human resource strategies: Policy and practice in Ireland (pp. 349–372). Dublin: Oak Tree Press.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Downes, M., & Thomas, A. S. (2000). Knowledge transfer through expatriation: The U-curve approach to oversee staffing. Journal of Managerial Issues, 12(2), 131–149.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Earley, C. P. (1987). Intercultural training for managers: A comparison of documentary and interpersonal methods. Academy of Management Journal, 30(4), 685–698.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Bird, A., Heinbuch, S., Dunbar, R., & McNulty, M. (1993). A conceptual model of the effects of area studies training programs and a preliminary investigation of the model’s hypothesised relationships. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 17(4), 415–435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Eschbach, D. M., Parker, G. E., & Stoeberl, P. A. (2001). American repatriate employees’ retrospective assessments of the effects of cross-cultural training on their adaptation to international assignments. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12(2), 270–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Caligiuri, P. M., Phillips, H., Lazarova, M., Tarique, I., & Burgi, P. (2001). The theory of met expectations applied to expatriate adjustment: The role of cross-cultural training. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12(3), 357–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Black, J. S., & Mendenhall, M. (1990). Cross-cultural training effectiveness: A review and a theoretical framework for future research. Academy of Management Review, 15(1), 113–136.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Morris, M. A., & Robie, C. (2001). A meta-analysis of the effects of cross-cultural training on expatriate performance and adjustment. The International Journal of Training and Development, 5(1), 112–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Littrell, L., Salas, E., Hess, K., Paley, M., & Riedel, S. (2006). Expatriate preparation: A critical analysis of 25 Years of cross-cultural training research. Human Resource Development Review, 5(9), 355–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Woodward, N. H. (2009). Expats still essential, but recession changes their role. Virginia, United States: Society for Human Resource Management.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Cascio, W. F., & Aguinis, H. (2008). Research in industrial and organizational psychology from 1963 to 2007: Changes, choices, and trends. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(5), 1062–1081.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Morley, M. J., & Heraty, N. (2004). International assignments and global careers. Thunderbird International Business Review, 46(6), 633–646.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Garavan, T. N. (2012). Global talent management in science based firms: An exploratory investigation of the pharmaceutical industry during the global downturn. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(12), 2428–2449.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Landis, D., & Bhagat, R. S. (1996). Handbook of intercultural training, 2nd Edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Price Waterhouse Coopers. (2010). Talent Mobility 2020: The next generation of international assignments. Gurgaon: Price Waterhouse Cooper International Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

    Michael J. Morley & Emma Parkinson

Authors
  1. Michael J. Morley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Emma Parkinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael J. Morley .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management School of Economics and Management, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

    Carolina Machado

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Morley, M.J., Parkinson, E. (2015). A Practice with Potential: Expatriate Cross-Cultural Training Among Irish MNCs. In: Machado, C. (eds) International Human Resources Management. Management and Industrial Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15308-7_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15308-7_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15307-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15308-7

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation