Workshop III - Pre-departure Program

Employers need to support the assignee and family members' adjustment and to protect the enormous financial investment in an overseas assignment. The following workshop helps to prepare the manager to make a positive transition and to conduct business and build positive relationships with the host-country partners. The following questions need to be answered.

What to know before you make the transition to an international environment?

Decide wisely whether to accept an assignment requiring cross-cultural skills
Develop realistic expectations of your productivity
Prepare adequately by learning the cultural skills in communicating and behavior
Review cultural components in Workshop I and emphasize cultural protocol when conducting business
Understand the necessity to develop relationships and trust with host-country partners
Provide country specific material to manager and family members
Help family members to understand the historical, cultural components, and behavior skills necessary for adjusting to host country
Research lifestyles in host city
Understand social customs
Understand educational system - transfer of credit to U. S. school system
Know what medical support is available
Obtain resources from embassy, etc...
Factors that lead to failure include spouse/partner dissatisfaction, family concerns, and inability to adapt. This creates an enormous loss of company financial investment

For information on culture specific information, click on Japan, Korea, Germany, Mexico