The Impact of Culture on Expatriates' Work Performances
The Impact of Culture On Expatriates ' Work Performances
Empirical research has demonstrated that there are many difficulties which expatriates may experience as a result of having to adjust to a foreign country 's culture. Consequently, these difficulties are known to have had a negative effect on the expatriates ' work performances in countless cases and many organisations struggle as requests to be returned to the mother country early and failure rates pile up. This raises the question whether or not organisations are actually investing enough time in readying their employees for a position abroad. This paper investigates what sort of measures organisations could take – and perhaps should take – in order to improve the performances of their employees before they are challenged by an international work environment.
Introduction
'By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. ' The words in this quote belong to Benjamin Franklin and they ring true for many circumstances, including the theme discussed in this paper. In turn, this would imply that organisations which fail to prepare their employees for an international environment, should also prepare to see their employees failing to function well in a working position abroad. When examining practical examples, there is evidence that organisations may have either neglected to properly prepare employees for international work environments, or otherwise may have underestimated what possible consequences there are for an individual 's success when faced with culture shock. The purpose of this paper is to provide answers as to what sort of procedures organisations could undertake in order to enhance the performances of their employees before transferring them to a foreign country.
Firstly, the necessity for organisations to address their current way of working will be emphasized. Then, a brief introduction on the concept of culture will be provided, followed by steps organisations may take with
Empirical research has demonstrated that there are many difficulties which expatriates may experience as a result of having to adjust to a foreign country 's culture. Consequently, these difficulties are known to have had a negative effect on the expatriates ' work performances in countless cases and many organisations struggle as requests to be returned to the mother country early and failure rates pile up. This raises the question whether or not organisations are actually investing enough time in readying their employees for a position abroad. This paper investigates what sort of measures organisations could take – and perhaps should take – in order to improve the performances of their employees before they are challenged by an international work environment.
Introduction
'By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. ' The words in this quote belong to Benjamin Franklin and they ring true for many circumstances, including the theme discussed in this paper. In turn, this would imply that organisations which fail to prepare their employees for an international environment, should also prepare to see their employees failing to function well in a working position abroad. When examining practical examples, there is evidence that organisations may have either neglected to properly prepare employees for international work environments, or otherwise may have underestimated what possible consequences there are for an individual 's success when faced with culture shock. The purpose of this paper is to provide answers as to what sort of procedures organisations could undertake in order to enhance the performances of their employees before transferring them to a foreign country.
Firstly, the necessity for organisations to address their current way of working will be emphasized. Then, a brief introduction on the concept of culture will be provided, followed by steps organisations may take with
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