 |
How to Leverage the Potential of Foreign Employees for the Success of a Business
Author: Piercarla Garusi  | Posted: 28-04-2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 3 | Rating: (50)  (?) 
We live in a world of migration and the number of migrants crossing the borders increases daily. For a business, hiring foreign nationals can be a great asset, as they bring their unique skills, expertise, knowledge, ethics and culture. And even more, they can help a business in the global market; in fact, as the world becomes smaller and smaller a business will inevitably find itself dealing with foreign customers, clients or suppliers, whether here or abroad, and foreign employees can help it deal successfully with foreign cultures. Furthermore, foreign employees can be a source of personal and professional growth, and such growth will automatically bring about financial growth.
But it is very important to understand that moving or living in another country can be very demanding and has a lot of implications which need to be considered if the relocation is to be a success. Moving and living in a foreign country is not simply learning the new language and learning about all the practicalities: the new house, school, university, health system etc. It is the new culture.
And culture is not simply the external differences, it is all that is stored in the subconscious mind; it is the beliefs, habits and values that make us give a certain meaning to things or behaviours, that make us consider things or behaviours as 'normal' or acceptable, and this can differ widely from what is 'normal' or acceptable in another country, even a neighbouring country.
Sometimes we are not aware of how cross-cultural mechanisms work and we are not aware of how our own culture has moulded our subconscious and how the meanings we give to behaviours or things derive from that, until we move to another country; the way we see reality, the way we behave, the meaning we give to behaviours, words, habits, etc. can be very different in another culture and this is valid in business and in day-to-day life.
The same can be said for the foreign employees, as they might not be aware of their cultural subconscious programming.
And not being aware of how cross-cultural differences work can be cause of stress and conflicts, misunderstandings, problems with colleagues and with clients. It might lower the foreign employees' self-esteem and their self-confidence. It might cause them to feel anxious and become depressed. And this will lower their wellbeing, and so their performance and their productivity. They might take days off sick or have problems with colleagues and customers, all of which could impact the business greatly and cause a loss of money for the business.
But another important point is that although the foreign employees are indeed from another culture, they do not represent their home country, they represent themselves as individuals. There are a lot of issues to be considered in relocating foreign employees or managing international teams, and it is very important to support the foreign employees with cross-cultural training, to enable them to create success strategies for their relocation.
There are different approaches in how to work with different cultures; there are approaches that start from a point of view of trying not to offend people from another culture, but these seem to be approaches based on fear, and fear does not work.
A better approach is to help everyone learn about how cross-cultural mechanisms work and to provide support for the foreign employees in a successful relocation; and this will enable us to communicate successfully with awareness, respect and curiosity and let go of all stereotyping and assumptions knowing that, after all, we are all indeed part of the human family. This is the approach based on love, care and compassion: don't we all want to bring back heart and soul to corporations? Well, hiring and supporting foreign employees will help with that!
Copyright Piercarla Garusi 2008- All rights reserved.
Rate this Article:
Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/how-to-leverage-the-potential-of-foreign-employees-for-the-success-of-a-business-398282.html
About the Author:Piercarla Garusi is a Life Coach, NLP Master Practitioner, Hypnotic Practitioner and Director of PG Coaching Ltd. She is specialises in helping expatriates and foreign employees relocate successfully in the new country. For more information please visit: http://www.pgcoaching.co.uk.
|
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free! |
|
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Q&A Powered by: 
Latest Management Articles
The Audit's Results and Report - the True Story, According to the Iso 9001 Standard Requirements
By: Itay Abuhav | 21/08/2008
The internal audit chapter is included under chapter 8.2 - Monitoring and measurement (it's been said before on our web site already). When performing an audit you are monitoring processes. You sample a process and validate that it is done according to prior requirements. Once you stumble upon nonconformity, a process that was performed not according to a requirement, you must mention it in the audit report. But this is not the end of your story.
Internal Audit - the Iso 9001 Standard Requirements for Internal Audits and the Audits Program
By: Itay Abuhav | 21/08/2008
Internal Audit. "What a headache" - that's surely what every employee think to himself when they receives the massage of an internal audit approaching. There is a reason why. They know that someone is coming to poke their deeds...
How Scheduled Overtime Can be Better Managed
By: SteveHyans | 21/08/2008
HourDoc offers superior solutions for scheduled overtime. HourDoc’s scheduled overtime solution takes into account PTO, electronic timesheets and other valuable time and attendance hardware features. Many clients using the HourDoc scheduled overtime solution comment that better managing scheduled overtime helps them save time and money.
Why Managing Scheduled Overtime is Critical
By: SteveHyans | 21/08/2008
HourDoc offers a superior scheduled overtime solution. HourDoc’s scheduled overtime solution takes into account PTO, OT, electronic timesheets and other valuable scheduled overtime features. Many clients using the HourDoc scheduled overtime solution comment that these options help them solve scheduled overtime issues.
Top Ten Success Factors Of Lean Six Sigma - Identifying Success Factors Critical To Deployment, And Evaluating Which Tools Have The Most Impact On Pro
By: Jonathan Aston | 21/08/2008
Identifying success factors critical to deployment, and evaluating which tools have the most impact on projects
New research has identified the success factors critical to the success of a lean six sigma deployment, and the ones that make a difference etween partial and complete success.
The research also examined tool use in...
How to Have More Fun Running Your Painting Business
By: Patrick E Cavanaugh | 20/08/2008
Everything comes with instructions, why not a painting company? Call it automating your business, any time you can automate a procedure you free up your time. An automated business can run without a manager, you. Can your company run for any length of time without you? Can you take a vacation?
Secrets of Marketing Your Painting Business
By: Patrick E Cavanaugh | 20/08/2008
Where do the jobs come from? How do we get new customers? How do we expand into a new area. How do we market? Do we just throw dollars at everything that is screaming to us, "buy from me, I will send you all the customers you want. Do we take one big burst of advertising to everyone?
Getting From a to B - the Business Plan
By: Patrick E Cavanaugh | 20/08/2008
Ask around, ask people why a business needs a plan. Chances are you will hear, "You need a business plan in case you need financing, and the bank wants one from you.
More from Piercarla Garusi
How NLP and Metaphysics Can Improve the Emotional Wellbeing of Employees
By: Piercarla Garusi | 28/04/2008 | Stress Management
I am sure you would agree that the most important resource of a business is not really the product or service, nor in the customers; it is actually in the employees, without whom the business would not exist. And if the employees are not well then the performance decreases, and with it the productivity. Is there something we can do that is really effective and lasting?
Coaching Tips for a Successful Relocation
By: Piercarla Garusi | 28/04/2008 | Self Improvement
Over the years we have developed some coaching tips to help you relocate successfully in a new culture and create a wonderful life and here are our relocation success tips.
Who is Your Guru, Really?
By: Piercarla Garusi | 10/05/2007 | Coaching
According to a dictionary, personal development is the 'development of one's capabilities or potentialities'. We want to improve ourselves and be the best we can be, we want to achieve success, we want to live our best life, so...we look for a guru...
How to Help Our Human Planet
By: Piercarla Garusi | 25/04/2007 | Coaching
I remember once after one of my talks, someone came up to me asking: 'You were saying that I can have what I want. Well, what I want is peace; how can I have it?'
And my answer at that time was: 'Start from the world around you.' But now I think I have another answer also...
No Matter Where You Are At In Your Life, YOU CAN
By: Piercarla Garusi | 09/04/2007 | Coaching
No matter where you are at in your life right now, no matter what your past has been, no matter what your present circumstances are, no matter how you have been feeling for years, no matter the mistakes you have made, you can change your future. That is for sure.
Attitude for Greatness
By: Piercarla Garusi | 06/03/2007 | Motivational
Attitude for Greatness is the attitude you need to achieve whatever it is that you truly want, the attitude you need to create the life you desire.
The Power Of Persistence
By: Piercarla Garusi | 15/02/2007 | Coaching
I went recently to see the movie 'The Pursuit of Happiness'; if you haven't seen it, please go, it is great. It could be the story of so many of us and it is about some of the most important qualities we need in order to succeed and be happy.
It begins with a dream...well it is a dream we all have...
Are YOU Your Own Leader?
By: Piercarla Garusi | 18/01/2007 | Motivational
What does it mean being your own leader? And what are the advantages? Is it the difference that makes the difference? Find out!
|
|
Business 
