Sergeant and Frenkel (1998)

Management > Comparative Management > Lectures > Independent Research > Sergeant and Frenkel > Culture clash > Recruitment/training > Performance management > Expat relations

Expatriate management relations

Too many firms do not prepare their managers for the culture shock which awaits them in new countries. They are chosen on experience and skill and some companies send managers out to visit the country in question for a week, but too many firms train them at home, telling them the theory, which is not enough.

Learning deeply about the culture and the way people operate in the foreign country is essential, including longer-term visits to the country.

Expatriates can suffer from isolation, with no support from the firm in their home country. This is often because those at home do not understand what it is truly like overseas. In addition, it is hard for the families of expatriates, as either are left behind or if they go, they receive no training.

Bribery and corruption are commonplace in Chinese firms and managers need support to deal with this. Sometimes using a local agent to deal with such issues is necessary. Managers need to find ways to integrate western management styles into the Chinese system, rather than trying to use only one of the two styles.

Expatriate managers need to undertake a continuous learning process for themselves and their employees, with frequent reports from the beginning to the end of projects.