Australians abroad: Managing a transnational life

However, cross-cultural interaction can also result in the development of new skills. There are two choices when faced with the discomfort and loss of reference points created by operating within a cultural reality that differs from our own: change the environment causing the disjunction, or change the way it’s dealt with. Largely through processes of trial and error, professionals in the TCC project began to change the way they dealt with situations, some more successfully than others. They began to develop “cultural management skills”, which included patience and flexibility. Research points to both mobile and expatriate businesspeople being more likely to succeed if they can demonstrate these qualities as well as empathy, a high tolerance for ambiguity, a willingness to be challenged, resilience, and the management of emotional responses such as frustration.

Unfortunately there is a question mark over how much value is placed on these “soft skills” in the Australian market. TCC participants felt in general there was little recognition of the usefulness of cultural competencies or the “Asia Literacy” they had gained. Yet these are valid change and human resources management skills that can certainly be applied in a country where seven of our top ten trading partners are now in the Asia region and where it’s increasingly unlikely we will work in mono-cultural offices.

The question for human resources managers and recruiters is can we look for people with these skills or can we develop them? I would argue that it’s a bit of both but first, there are some factors that work against their development. As mentioned earlier, a highly mobile workplace mitigates against the time needed to learn the codes of another culture and establish the local relationships and familiar routines that create a sense of belonging.

Second, in general the greater the dissimilarity between cultures the more skill is needed to reconcile differences, and again while the ability to form relationships lessens cultural distance, as do technical skills such as speaking local languages, mobility and time create barriers.

Third, time is a commodity in short supply in contemporary global economics. There appears to be little time to prepare transnational professionals. Selection in this case becomes more important.

Fourth, security concerns, particularly after the Bali bombings in 2002, caused some to become more conscious of their “foreignness”, which also reinforces stereotypes of “the other”.

A company may have few options in dealing with these inhibiting factors, but there are other factors that can enhance the ability of transnational professionals to develop cultural management skills. Support from Head Office is vital in terms of: acknowledging the realities of an overseas placement, and that work practices and standard operating procedures can be different. Appropriate training needs to be put in place, or induction programs including support programs for family. There also needs to be support for employees on their return.

Training (in different forms) at the very least can facilitate the development of coping strategies and raise awareness that Australians have a culture too: that for the rest of the world our humour is untranslatable, and our accent is one of the most difficult for people in Asia, for example, to understand.

Many transnational companies are engaged in training or coaching their local off-shore staff, particularly inducting them into a new organisational culture, however, fewer companies seem to feel that similar training could be beneficial for their Australian staff. In the TCC study, only four out of fifty businesspeople interviewed had attended a formal training session. Often companies use informal induction processes, with a senior manager passing on information to the newly arrived. This can be useful but if the former has had a negative experience this is what is passed on and stereotypes and conflicts can be perpetuated.

Several professionals in the study had undertaken no preparation or research before their posting and while some still managed and learnt very quickly (and in some countries this is more feasible than in others), it’s a question of how fast their company needs them to be effective. Can business afford to waste time while their off-shore staff come to grips with a new culture? Preparation can enable better effectiveness more quickly.

Even less prepared than the transnational professional is their family, in the case of expatriates where the family or spouse is relocated as well. Yet research indicates that the inability of family to adjust is another crucial factor in heightening the chances of costly early return.

As Australians continue the tradition of travelling overseas, their contact with cultural difference is driving individual change, including the development of cross-cultural competencies. These skills are necessary for managing a transnational life, but preparation and organisational support remain crucial to ensuring Australians abroad can not only achieve business outcomes, but develop and maintain a long lasting engagement with cultural diversity. In a global era where cities and workplaces contain the world, these skills and this knowledge is invaluable.