Management in Action: Elektrobit Case Study
Chapter 4 : Global Management : Managing Across Borders
Management in Action
Elektrobit Corp. Strives to Make Foreign Assignments a Good Experience
Question 5 : What are the most important lessons to be learned about global management from this case? Discuss.
One of the first lessons she learned is that Elektroit’s German workers generally rely on interpersonal communication more than their American counterparts. She used that newfound knowledge to combine the best of both worlds.
‘In America we are very fond of technology, and you barely see anybody or pick up the phone to call them,” Papadopol says. “In Europe, they like to talk face-to-face, and having conversations at a desk or in the hallway is very important. So we came up with an agreement to continue to have the discussions but to follow up with an e-mail. As a result, actions take place faster, and the content of the discussions is share with everyone on the team.”
Elektrobit moves an average of 10 people a year between its global offices, spending about $10,000 annually for each of them on relocation expenses, housing for the employee, and any family that go along.
The company makes sure employees have whatever they need to start working efficiently on arrival. But it also tries to help them settle into their everyday lives outside work.
To avoid that, Elektrobit employees who accept an international assignment have to sign a contract before they leave that spells out their pay, length of stay, and other details of what is expected of them and what kind of help they can expect from the company.
Management in Action
Elektrobit Corp. Strives to Make Foreign Assignments a Good Experience
Question 5 : What are the most important lessons to be learned about global management from this case? Discuss.
One of the first lessons she learned is that Elektroit’s German workers generally rely on interpersonal communication more than their American counterparts. She used that newfound knowledge to combine the best of both worlds.
‘In America we are very fond of technology, and you barely see anybody or pick up the phone to call them,” Papadopol says. “In Europe, they like to talk face-to-face, and having conversations at a desk or in the hallway is very important. So we came up with an agreement to continue to have the discussions but to follow up with an e-mail. As a result, actions take place faster, and the content of the discussions is share with everyone on the team.”
Elektrobit moves an average of 10 people a year between its global offices, spending about $10,000 annually for each of them on relocation expenses, housing for the employee, and any family that go along.
The company makes sure employees have whatever they need to start working efficiently on arrival. But it also tries to help them settle into their everyday lives outside work.
To avoid that, Elektrobit employees who accept an international assignment have to sign a contract before they leave that spells out their pay, length of stay, and other details of what is expected of them and what kind of help they can expect from the company.