EXPATRIATE EMPLOYEES: SELECTION, TRAINING, & ADMINISTRATION
The increased pace of the globalization of economic activity emphasizes the need for all companies with a physical presence in countries other than their home country to prepare personnel for responsibilities that must be discharged amid alien social structures. Personnel assigned responsibilities in international situations who are not prepared to serve effectively in such situations create a multiplicity of problems for the company. The productivity and even the viability of a company's international operation are placed at risk. Additionally, the disillusioned expatriate employee may sever her or his connection with the company, thereby creating additional problems and costs for the company (Roberts, Kossek, & Ozeki, 1998).
An important source of problems for expatriate employees is the culture shock that frequently is experienced when posted to a foreign country. Culture shock is the term applied to the trauma of bewilderment and anxiety that is at times experienced by individuals who, voluntarily or involuntarily, find themselves isolated in an alien culture, or, as a consequence of war, find an alien culture imposed on them (Johnson, Kristof-Brown, Van Vianen, De Pater, & Klein, 2003).
A major cause of culture shock is the loyalty felt by an individual to her or his native culture when confronted with alien values and attitudes in an environment wherein the alien values and attitudes are the societal norms. Americans, more so than people of many other cultures, tend to possess an exaggerated sense of loyalty toward their own culture. When in such a situation, an individual is required to face new societal mores, and both unlearn and relearn the automatic daily cues of social behavior (Johnson, Kristof-Brown, Van Vianen, De Pater, & Klein, 2003).
Language differences are also a source of culture shock. Language is often a major barrier for individual...