INTERNATIONAL TRAINING STRATEGIES

Amaresh C Nayak

International Training Strategies

Training strategies bridge the gap The four strategies of training are:
MNCs may make use of expatriates for short-term or long-term international job assignments. The staffing orientation that is adopted in the subsidiary unit influences the training impetus The control and coordination linkages that the parent unit wishes to establish with the subsidiary unit drive the training budget and the strategy The role and responsibilities of the position determine the extent and content training

EXPATRIATE TRAINING
The focus is on ascertaining the cultural awareness and the fit for the host country's culture MNCs offer Cross-Cultural Training (CCT)
A planned intervention To increase the knowledge and skills of expatriates to live and work effectively To achieve general life satisfaction in an unfamiliar host culture

The effectiveness of a CCT is reflected by the cognitive, affective and behavioural changes that occur during and after the training.

Benefits and Drawbacks of CCT

Merits Increases chances of success in assignment Demerit Develops a false sense of confidence in global employee

Provides a comprehensive global perspective for managers

Instills a sense of confidence into people Foreign employees can be managed better Reduces culture shock due to frequent travels abroad

May not remove cultural biases and prejudices

May not be taken seriously by the recipients May not make a visible difference in business volumes Can never fully prepare an assignee to face real problems

INTERNATIONAL TRAINING PROCESS

The stages are:
Identify training objectives Identify the types of global assignment for which CCT is required. Determine the specific cross-cultural training needs. Establish the goals and measures for determining training effectiveness. Develop and deliver the CCT programme. Evaluate whether the CCT was effective

INTERNATIONAL TRAINING PROCESS

Phase 1 Training Objectives Phase 2 Identify the type of Global Assignment o CEO o Structure Reproducer o Trouble-Shooter o Operative Phase 5 Develop and Deliver the CCT Programme o Course Content o Identify Methods of training o Sequence of training Phase 3 D etermining Training Needs o Organisational Analysis o Individual Analysis o Assignment Analysis Phase 6 Evaluating the Programme o Short Term Goals o Long Term Goals

Phase 4 Establish Goals and Measures o Short term o Long term

OBJECTIVE
A few commonly understood objectives of training in the multinational corporation are:
Bridging the cultural gaps between the host and the parent organisation* Recognising that orientation / induction challenges are different for the parent and the host unit Ensuring that organisational success is critical in achievement of the global objectives. Establishing and retaining advantages over international competitors

GLOBAL ASSIGNMENTS
Global assignments are of the following types:
Chief executive officer - overseas and directs the entire subsidiary operations, undergo an intensive CCT Structure reproducer - shoulders the responsibility of building or reproducing in a foreign subsidiary, not be exposed to a rigorous CCT Trouble shooter - to analyse and solve a specific operational problem, do not need to undergo a very intense CCT Operative - to perform functional tasks in an existing operational structure, do not need to undergo a very intense CCT

NEEDS ANALYSIS
Needs assessment diagnoses present problems and identities future challenges to be met through training and development. Needs assessment occurs at three levels:
The individual The organisational culture, politics, structure and strategy The assignment

CCT GOALS AND MEASURES

Short-term - what the expatriate should be able lo accomplish on completion of the CCT Long-term - reflect the expected outcome of the expatriate assignment

DEVELOP AND DELIVER THE CCT PROGRAMME

Involves two activities
Deciding on the content of training Sequencing

COURSE CONTENT
Language Training
Communicate effectively with the host country citizens To learn about host country-value systems and the customs of its people (exceptions - France. Germany, Japan or China)

COURSE CONTENT
B. Cultural Training
General cultural orientation - receptiveness to effective cross-cultural interactions, clear understanding of the purpose, value and benefits of the global assignment, the ability to manage stress. Specific host country cultural orientation understanding of the host country's culture, adaptation of spouse in the host country

COURSE CONTENT
B. Cultural Training
The intensity of cultural training depends on two factors:
The degree of interaction required between the expatriate and the host country citizens The similarity between the assignee's native culture and the new culture

COURSE CONTENT
B. Cultural Training
These two factors give rise to two dimensions:
If the expected interaction between the assignee and the host country citizens is low, and the degree of similarity between the assignee's home culture and of the host country's culture is high, then training could focus more on task and job-related issues rather than culture-related issues. The level of rigour necessary for effective training could be relatively low. If expected interactions are high and dissimilarities between cultures are also high, then training could focus more on cross-cultural sensitivity, in addition to the new task. The level of rigour for such training could be moderate to high.

COURSE CONTENT
C. Practical Assistance:
This seeks to help the expatriate and his family feel at home in the host country

METHODS OF TRAINING:
Didactic general culture training Didactic specific culture training Experiential general culture training Experiential specific culture training

METHODS OF TRAINING:
Didactic general culture training:
Called as educative training. Seeks to incur a cognitive understanding of a culture so that its norms and behaviour can be easily be appreciated by the assignees. Methods of imparting training are
lectures, seminars, study materials, discussions, videotapes, culture-general assimilators.

METHODS OF TRAINING:
Didactic specific culture training:
Seeks to instruct about the cultural nuances of the expatriates host country. Methods of imparting training are
area studies, videotapes, orientation, primary visits, case studies

METHODS OF TRAINING:
Experiential general cultural Training:
Experiential general culture training methods help assignees experience the impact of cultural differences on their behaviours. Methods in this category include
immersion programmes intensive workshops.

METHODS OF TRAINING:
Experiential specific cultural Training:
These methods seek to help expatriates experience and learn from interactions with individuals from the host culture. Training includes
role-playing, look-see trips, cultural coaching language training.

SEQUENCING OF SESSIONS
Pre-Departure CCT:
This is the most widely used method of imparting training and is at best learning something without actually experiencing it. Training on basic information - currency, exchange rate, hotels, transportation systems and hospitals

Post-Arrival or In-Country Training:

Facilitates learning by experiencing the host country culture, beliefs and values. Training on deeper cultural learning about a new country and its culture and the awareness of the skills and behaviours needed to be successful in another culture.

 Issue: Without some initial support and a framework for learning, many managers find it difficult to reach out to new colleagues themselves.
Solution Process of Socialisation

EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CCT

Evaluation necessitates an identification of training goals and methods so as to judge whether or not the goals have been met.
Short-term goals
Cognitive goals Affective goals Behavioural goals

Long-term goals

EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CCT

Short-term goals
Cognitive goals focus on helping the expatriates understand the role of cultural values on behaviour in the host country.
Knowledge about managing stress Awareness of the norms required to effectively interact with host country nationals

Affective goals seek to manage his or her attitude towards the new culture and effectively handle negative emotions.
Changing the expatriate's perception about the host culture Enhancing his or her self-confidence to communicate with people from other cultures

Behavioural goals help the adaptive behaviour by the crosscultural skills, interpersonal skills.
Developing intercultural skills Negotiating skills, Relationship building skills

EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CCT

Short-term goals
Methods to evaluate the effectiveness of the CCT
Paper and pencil tests Online tests Personal interviews Group discussions Observation of performance in a cultural stimulator Role-play.

EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CCT

Long-term goals of the CCT programme include the expected outcome of the expatriate assignment
Cross-cultural adjustment Success on the assignment Measurement
Paper and pencil questionnaires Phone interviews In person interviews Electronic surveys

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HCN TRAINING
Phase 1 Training Objectives Phase 2 Identify the type of Global Assignment Phase 3 Determining Training Needs

Phase 4 Establish Goals and Measures

Phase 5 Develop and Deliver the CCT Programme

Phase 5 Methods of Training

Phase 6 Assessment of Effectiveness

HCN TRAINING
OBJECTIVE
A few commonly understood objectives of training in the multinational corporation are:
Gaining information about the parent organisation and its global existence and objectives. The acquisition of technological know-how specific to the organisation The role of the new subsidiary in the MNCs Road Map General awareness about parent country norms, culture and work methods

HCN TRAINING
TYPES OF HCN ASSIGNMENTS
Managing Director / Country Head / Centre Head Chief Operating Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Finance Officer, HR Director/HR Manager Unit Staff

HCN TRAINING
NEED ANALYSIS
The individual Need Assessment remains the same as in Expatriates The training needs analysis at an organisational or assignment levels are
Orientation to parent country processes and reporting mechanism Familiarity and awareness of parent company work practices, work culture, values Provisions for career planning and development initiatives Training for Global corporate vision and mission Training for uniformity in global work practices

HCN TRAINING
TRAINING GOALS AND MEASURES
The ability to have the subsidiary similarly managed as the parent unit.
Short-term awareness Long-term to carryout the objectives of the organisation

HCN TRAINING
DEVELOP AND DELIVER THE HCN TRAINING
Involves two activities
Corporate Induction Technological Training

HCN TRAINING
DEVELOP AND DELIVER THE HCN TRAINING
A. Corporate Induction
Corporate history, heritage, founders, promoters and investors Industry overview, companys market share and positioning, competitors, growth Companys specific product and service background Inducting to corporate and local leadership teams Future plans for growth Role of subsidiary Communicating to corporate vision and mission statement, philosophy The HR policies of subsidiaries Basic work practices of subsidiary

HCN TRAINING
DEVELOP AND DELIVER THE HCN TRAINING
B. Technological Training
Sharing of detailed information on the core business of the company Nature of work Knowledge to make the subsidiary to work independently

HCN TRAINING
METHODS OF TRAINING:
On-the-Job Class room training On-site visits Mentoring E-learning Web based coaching

HCN TRAINING
EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS
The ability of the individual to build successful subsidiary operations Establish competent teams Achieve the unit's objectives while adhering to global processes and policies

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TCN TRAINING
Besides training of HCN and PCN, TCNs also need to be trained.
The focus is on ascertaining the technical, cultural and managerial fit of the person for the role. The approach is similar to that of the HCN

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