By Matthew Arrigale
Summary:
Arrigale explains why he feels that those wanting to fully immerse themselves in the culture while abroad are more likely to have a successful assignment.
Ensuring a growth- oriented international assignment
Both companies and employees take huge risks when embarking on longer term expatriate assignments. Companies gamble by investing in significantly higher expatriate wages and benefits with the hopes of a greater financial return. Employees gamble by uprooting themselves and their families into unfamiliar territories, often not knowing what the next step professionally might be beyond the overseas assignment.
Expatriate failure rate studies vary significantly, but range as high as 30 to 40 percent. In an often-cited 1982 survey of global multinational corporations, Rosalie Tung identified significant expatriate failure in U.S. companies for the following four reasons:
- The spouse's inability to adjust.
- The employee's inability to adjust.
- The employee's personal or emotional immaturity.
- Other family problems
Ms. Tung overlooks a very basic issue in failure rates – the individual approach to language and culture. If my hypothesis is correct then training, coaching and mentoring is helpful but might be too late. If we truly want to lower the failure rate, selection and motivation are clearly where the emphasis needs to be. Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to a successful expatriate assignment, but the approach of the individual can make the difference between success or a complete flop. I spent almost three years living and working in Germany, and it was by far the most rewarding period of growth for me and my family. Had we not been stubborn, disciplined, willing to make fools of ourselves and adaptable, I do not think the assignment would have been successful.
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About the Author
Matt Arrigale is vice president, human resources-Americas at SCHOTT. The multinational company develops and manufactures special glass, specialty materials, components and systems and has its North American corporate offices in Elmsford, New York. Arrigale lives in Stormville, New York and serves on the board of directors for Putnam Family & Community Services, Inc.
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First Published: Sep 18, 2009
