Abstract
Multinational companies (MNCs) face an increasing need for leaders with international job experience, openness towards people with other cultural backgrounds and receptiveness to other ways of doing business within the organization. Traditionally, such cross-cultural skills and abilities are acquired during long-term expatriation and nurtured through training and mentoring. However, long-term assignments are expensive for companies (Stahl & Björkman, 2006, pp. 167–168) and strenuous for many employees. The HR manager’s remarks above raise a relevant question as to whether cultural sensitivity can be nurtured through a number of shorter stays in several regions, in particular because many international assignees have had internships abroad or studied at foreign universities and thus are expected to have quite a different take on working in multicultural business contexts than their parents’ generation.
We have huge difficulties in recruiting people for long-term expatriation due to dual careers. […] Short-term assignments are much cheaper for the company and more feasible, and they might build a cornerstone in a future development towards achieving a global mindset. The young generation grew up in a global world!
(HR manager in MNC)
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Boyacigiller, N., Beechler, S., Taylor, S., & Levy, O. (2004). The crucial yet elusive global mindset. In Lane, H. W., Maznevski, M. L., Mendenhall, M. E., & McNett, J. (Eds.), Handbook of global management: A guide to managing complexity (pp. 81–93). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Brown, P., & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Caligiuri, P., Tarique, I., & Jacobs, R. (2009). Selection for international assignments. Human Resource Management Review , 19 (3), 251–262.
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 , 198–213.
Dowling, P. J., Festing, M., & Engle, A. D. (Eds.). (2008). International human resource management. Managing people in a multinational context. London: Thomson.
Evans, P., Pucik, V., & Barsoux, J. L. (2002). The global challenge: frameworks for international human resource management. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Hall, E. (1976). Beyond culture. New York: Anchor Press Doubleday.
Johnson, J. P., Lenartowicz, T., & Apud, S. (2006). Cross-cultural competence in international business. Toward a definition and a model. Journal of International Business Studies, 37 , 525–543.
Mayerhofer, H., Hartmann, L. C., Michelitsch-Riedl, G., & Kollinger, I. (2004). Flex-patriate assignments: A neglected issue in global staffing. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 15 , 1371–1389.
Mäkelä, K., & Suutari, V.(2009). Global careers: A social capital paradox. International Journal of Human Resource Management , 20 (5), 992–1008.
Maznevski, M. L., & Lane, H. W. (2003). Shaping the global mindset: Designing educational experiences for effective global thinking and action.
In Boyacigiller, N., Goodman, R. M., & Phillips, M. (Eds.), Crossing cultures: Insights from master teachers (pp. 171–184) New York: Routledge.
McKenna, S., Ducharme, M. J., & Budworth, M. H. (2009). What happens on tour stays on tour: Failure of teams on short term international assignment. Research and Practice in Human Resource Management , 17 (1), 112–127.
Osland, J. S., Bird, A., Mendenhall, M. E., & Osland, A. (2006). Developing of global leadership capabilities and global mindset: A review. In Stahl, G. K., & Björkman, I. (Eds.), Handbook of international human resource management (pp. 197–222). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Roberts, K., Kossek, E. E., & Ozeki, C. (1998). Managing the global workforce: Challenges and strategies. Academy of Management Executive , 12 (4), 93–106.
Selmer, J. (2002). To train or not to train. European expatriate managers in China. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 2 (1), 37–51.
Scullion, H., Collings, D.G., & Gunnigle, P. (2007). International human resource management in the 21st century: Emerging themes and contemporary debates, Human Resource Management Journal , 17 (4), 309–318.
Shapiro, J. M., Ozanne, J. L., & Saatcioglu, B. (2008). An interpretive examination of the development of cultural sensitivity in international business. Journal of International Business Studies, 39 , 71–87.
Stahl, G. K., & Björkman, I. (2006). Handbook of international human resource management. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Starr, T. L. (2009). Repatriation and short-term assignments: An exploration into expectations, change and dilemmas. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 20 (2), 286–300.
Starr, T. L., & Currie, G. (2009). ‘Out of sight but still in the picture’: short-term international assignments and the influential role of family. International Journal of Human Resource Management , 20 (6), 1421–1438.
Tahvanainen, M., Welch, D., & Worm, V. (2005). Implications of short-term international assignments. European Management Journal, 23 , 663–673.
Thomas, D. C., & Fitzsimmons, S. (2008). Cross cultural skills and abilities. From communication competence to cultural intelligence. In Smith, P. B., Peterson, M. F., & Thomas, D. C. (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural management research (pp. 201–215). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Thomas, D. C., & Lazarova, M. B. (2006). Expatriate adjustment and performance: A critical review. In Stahl, G.K., & Björkman, I. (Eds.), Handbook of international human resource management (pp. 247–264). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Thomas, D. C., Lazarova, M. B., & Inkson, K. (2005). Global careers: New phenomenon or new perspectives? Journal of World Business, 40 , 340–347.
Tung, R. (1998). A contingency framework of selection and training of expatriates revisited. Human Resource Management Review, 8(1), 23–37.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2012 Anne-Marie Søderberg and Mette Zølner
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Søderberg, AM., Zølner, M. (2012). Short-term International Assignments. In: Gertsen, M.C., Søderberg, AM., Zølner, M. (eds) Global Collaboration: Intercultural Experiences and Learning. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137026064_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137026064_7
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-33096-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-02606-4
eBook Packages: Palgrave Business & Management CollectionBusiness and Management (R0)