The study of expatriate training and repatriate in high-tech industry

• Main Author: 魏煒圻
• Other Authors: 林孟彥
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2002
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/68173245416721147753

碩士 === 國立臺灣科技大學 === 管理研究所 === 90 === ABSTRACT According to Black and Mendenhall (1990), 16% to 40% of expatriate managers finished their expatriation earlier due to the negative performance and adaptation. 50% of expatriate managers couldn’t go back for original positions and 30% of expatriate managers had never received cross-culture training. The failures of expatriation not only influenced themselves but seriously affected enterprises’ performance. Enterprises often choose parent companies’ managers to be their representatives in the early stage and that’s the reason why international companies should emphasize expatriate managers’ cross-culture training. The researcher used in-depth interviews to collect data. The study interviewed five managers who had expatriate experience in high-tech industry to learn real situation of cross-culture training and how they thought about expatriate training. Interviewees all repatriated to the original companies, so the researcher probed into questions by sharing successful repatriation experiences. According to interview results, although enterprises recognized the importance of cross-culture training, few of them practiced training because of the high training cost and time consuming. Due to severe competition in high-tech industry, many expatriate managers only had limited on-job training to fit in different culture. The researcher proposed some suggestions and management implications as follows: 1. Take advantages of word-of-mouth to share expatriate experience to lower the cost: Some interviewees said they got experience from colleagues sharing their experience in a casual occasion. Enterprises should use good persuasion of interpersonal communication and also turn the precious experience into intangible intellectual assets. 2. Establish communication channel to high-level managers to get their faiths and to improve communication efficiency: If enterprises provide career plans and communication channels, the percentage of repatriate success will be higher and communication efficiency is also enhanced. 3. Enhance employees’ cognition of expatriation and have cross-culture training in usual: Cross-culture training is one of the most important factors of globalization. Every one has opportunities to contact people from different cultural background, so they should have such training courses in daily life. 4. Develop talents with global views by institutionalizing expatriation: There are many business trips and foreign clients reception nowadays. Enterprises could institutionalize these business contacts to encourage employees. For examples, people who had cross-culture experience will be considered better chance to be promoted. So employees could be encouraged to interact with different people to build global views. 5. Build up “ go-back-home” option for those long-term expatriate people to increase repatriate rate and to meet urgent needs of expatriation: Enterprises should provide a program to the expatriates so that they can visit their home base regularly. Not only let the expatriates maintaining good relationships with parent company people, but also enhancing their willingness to repatriate. The expatriates could share their experience during this period, so employees in parent company could receive cross-culture messages. If enterprises have urgent needs in the future, they can react immediately without ignoring cross-culture training.