International Relocation Specialist

While globalization has opened many opportunities for business, it has created some significant challenges. One leading challenge for global managers is learning to understand and appreciate cultural values, practices, and various nuances in different parts of the world. Experts in international business agree that to succeed in global business, managers should be open to others’ ideas and opinions and have the flexibility to respond positively and effectively to practices and values that are oftentimes drastically different from what they are accustomed to. Cultural training has been shown to improve an individual’s relationships with host nationals and allows expatriates to adjust more rapidly to a new culture and an international relocation.

There are a variety of training techniques that prepare people for foreign work assignments. They range from documentary programs that merely expose people to a new culture through materials about the country’s sociopolitical history, geography, economics, language and cultural institutions, to intense interpersonal-experience training, in which individuals participate in role-playing exercises, simulated social settings and similar experiences in order to “feel” the differences in new culture. Successful cross-cultural programs can include the following:

Local business etiquette. Even the most veteran and prolific employee can have difficulty without an understanding of business etiquette in other cultures. For example, the U.S. tendency to “get down to business” is regarded as rude in Japan, where business transactions often have a greater personal relationship component. An employee who appears impatient with Japanese traditions designed to establish friendship and trust will have little success in business negotiations.

Cultural biases. International relocation assignees should always examine the way their own culture affects their perceptions of right and wrong, good and bad manners, values, dress, and other customs. Cultural training can improve understanding of the cultural forces that affect their own behaviors and help assignees learn how to adapt to new cultural demands and the international relocation.

Customized training. Additional training can include special modules to help the employee and his or her family with their own individual concerns. For example, if the assignee’s children will be attending local schools, modules and resources on education etiquette would be appropriate.

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