Case Study: The Swiss-Thai joint venture

Case Study: The Swiss-Thai joint venture

Question 1:

Guidance to organisations sending, and to individuals being posted, on overseas assignments. For organising short-term business travel, there is a separate checklist. Selecting, appointing, supporting and developing managers abroad can be highly complex. Failure rates, or non-completion of assignments, have been put as high as 40%. per cent. In addition to this, the cost to the employing organisation may be considerable, as may the professional and personal price paid by the individual. Both for the organisation and the individual, there is a need to reduce uncertainty and ineffectiveness as far as possible, and to create a sense of direction, purpose and control.

Management Standards

This checklist has relevance to the MSC National Occupational Standards for Management: Key Role C--Manage People.

Definition

For the purposes of this checklist, working overseas means outside the United Kingdom. An assignment means a posting overseas for a defined period (of over six months) with the current employer.

Advantages of planning assignments

Planning postings means:

* the employee and employer will both benefit through minimising culture shock and through attention to detail

* the potential for failure, for reasons of cultural adaptation, is minimised

* the risk and cost of premature repatriation is reduced.

Disadvantages of planning assignments

* The cost of such preparations are expensive and time-consuming, but not as expensive as a badly planned assignment.

* Rapid detours or u-turns due to unforeseeable political, economic or environmental changes of circumstances can throw preparations out of the window.

Action checklist

1. Prepare for the road ahead

Be aware of local language requirements and cultural issues, and allow time to prepare mentally and domestically for the transition. Preliminary visits for the employee and family (with the organisation's full support) are invaluable for gaining an initial perspective, making early introductions and learning about local facilities, or the lack of them.

Just as the transition is the joint responsibility of both employee and employer, it is vital that both:

* understand the task to be accomplished

* recognise the need for levels of adaptability, maturity and technical competence

* understand the need for organisational and family support.

2. Be aware of rights

Be aware of the rights of individuals and of the employing organisation in the country of destination, especially any existing or pending legislation. For example, the Posted Workers Directive, adopted by the European Commission in September 1996, guarantees employees sent to work temporarily in another EU state the same pay and working conditions as those recruited locally.

3. Define the personal characteristics and requisites for the job specification

As with any recruitment and selection process for any job, it is important to have a clear view of the skills, experience and personal qualities that are needed for the post. In the case of an appointment for an overseas posting, additional factors need to be taken into account. These are:

* knowledge of languages

A good working knowledge of the main language of the host country, particularly if English is not widely spoken there.

* international experience

Previous experience can help mental preparation and reduce culture shock. Preliminary visits and existing organisational networks can ...