Success and Failure in Overseas Work Assignments
A Case Study in Expatriation, Global Staff Need Global Support
Mar 19, 2009
This would be his first overseas assignment, previously, he had worked in his home country, the USA, and he was excited about the opportunity, and highly motivated to do well in it. His wife, Claire was also looking forward to the expatriate life, and fully shared her husband’s commitment to making a difference in a poor country. They had been preparing their three school-aged children for the move for more than a year, and the children were also excited about the chance to see the world.
The multilateral aid organization that hired Tony had, at that time, no organized program of support in cross-cultural integration for its employees, and Tony’s superiors assured him that since Guyana is an English-speaking country he would have no trouble getting on there. So the family packed up, and flew to Georgetown. Arriving late one night, after a long day of travel, the family was met at the airport by Jim and his wife Sue, also Americans. Jim would be Tony’s boss in the organization, and they wanted to welcome the newcomers as best they could. Using two cars, the families divided up, the men in one car with the young boys and the women in the other, with the oldest child, a girl.
Frustrated Expatriate
Sue spent the entire two hour ride into Georgetown city describing her frustrations with the country, the work situation, the food available, and the people of her social group. Claire and her daughter were deeply discouraged to hear how difficult life was going to be from now on, and wondered why no one had prepared them for these problems earlier. Later, they settled into a rented house close to Jim and Sue’s and observed, over the course of time, their continuing decline in motivation and energy coupled with growing alcohol abuse by both Jim and Sue.
Meanwhile, Tony was also struggling at work. He was frustrated by the slow pace of change and could not understand why identified problems were not tackled and solved. He was shocked to discover racist attitudes in himself that he had not been aware of before and did not know how to process or learn from this discovery. He felt that he had been over-optimistic in wanting to make a difference in the world, and concluded that he was not a success in his work.
Expatriate Homemaker Struggles
At home, Claire fought her own battles. Daily life brought her in contact with levels of poverty and desperation that she had not encountered before, and she felt helpless in the face of such need. The children were struggling with unfamiliar school systems and subjects and she felt inadequate to help them adjust. Although English is spoken in Guyana, it is a dialect quite different from that of North America, and the family had great difficulty in learning to understand it.
After 18 months, Tony accepted a transfer to a similar job in another country. The second placement was in a somewhat more developed area, and the family was more comfortable there, and found that with time, they began to make their own peace with their situation. However at the conclusion of the second assignment, Tony and Claire decided to return to the US, and did not return to international work.
How to Maximize Expatriate Effectiveness
This case study shows what are unfortunately all too common results of unplanned and unsupported expatriation. The contributions of these highly skilled and motivated people could have been maximized instead of wasted with proper preparation and support.
Failure in expatriate assignments is not only a matter of completing or not completing the assigned term of service. Emotional burdens and barriers that cut into the employee’s peak performance are also a net loss to both employer and employee, reducing the potential productivity of the assignment.
New expatriates need to be in contact with experienced people who are positive about the experience of expatriation, and who both model and explain the orientations needed for success. Research-based information needs to be provided relating to work styles, linguistic and cultural patterns, daily living requirements, and culture shock adjustment patterns. Training inputs in cross-cultural communication and culture shock are of much lower cost than the potential loss of skills and motivation of unsupported expatriate workers.
For more information see:
Cross-Cultural Training for a Global Age
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