1. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Are We Sending the Right People on
International Assignments?
How Global Mobility can help to select the
right candidate for the right location

2. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Speaker
Matthew Hill
• Communicaid Intercultural
Consultant
• Trainer, author and coach
• 20+ years’ experience
working with international
organisations
• HR & International
recruitment background
• Worked and trained in 20+
countries

3. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
The Problem
“Many assignment failures are probably due to the
wrong candidates being picked.”
EY, Global Mobility Effectiveness Survey, 2012
“Although existing studies on international mobility
recommend the assessment of softer aspects such
as a desire to adjust, tolerance, or cultural openness
of candidates, in practice these appear relatively
neglected.”
PWC and Cranfield School of Management, Measuring the
Value of International Assignments

4. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Assignee Selection
• Selection and assessment
of expatriates:
– Are we doing it correctly?
– Could we improve?
– Are there any quick wins?

5. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Overview
• Skills and competencies
• Testing intercultural
competencies
• Training and development
• Core intercultural competencies
• Conclusion

6. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Skills and Competencies

7. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Selection
• Certified experience
• Work experience
• Commercial knowledge

8. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Why are we hearing about this?
• “If organisations are going to be effective global
competitors, the competence repertoire of
expatriate managers will play an integral role
in the effective development and implementation of
the organisations’ strategies”
• “Research shows that selection for soft skills
(such as cultural empathy, cross cultural team
building, international negotiations, understanding
of conducting business in foreign countries) must
be included in the assessment alongside
technical skills”
Source: Harvey and Novicevic

9. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Where is the gap in experience?
• “Although criterion-related studies address the question
of what personality variables act as determinants of
overseas behaviours, they do not address the
question of what managers or selection decision-
makers consider to be important”
• Openness to Experience, although shown to have a
positive correlation to expatriate success (as defined by
the decision makers), was not considered important.
This suggests that managers are not fully aware of
what contributes to a successful expatriate
assignment.
• “...managers do not systematically assess those
personality traits shown to predict overseas
criteria [for successful assignments]”
Source: Viswesvaran, 1999

10. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Reality
• Business skills are predominantly the only skills
formally considered in selection process
• Retention rates are rarely measured
• Success of an assignment is only measured against
tangibles
• Impact of culture is rarely considered
• Where does the responsibility lie?
Source: Communicaid research 2014, survey of clients, “Selection and Assessment of Expatriates”

11. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
What tools are there available?
• The International Profiler
– Competencies tool highlighting
development opportunities and
focus points
• Culture Wizard
– Self-profiling
• International Readiness
Check
– Clear structure
• Others
– Comparing cultures,
measuring, profiling

12. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
How do we use them?
• Not a “Yes” or “No” tool
• Not static over time
• An indicator
• A developmental guide
• Part of the process
• ‘Springboard’

13. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Which intercultural competencies?

14. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Intercultural Competencies
Stability
Steadiness in chaos
Adaptability
Ease of coping with the new
Variety
Openness to the new
Tolerance and reach
Attitude to other people
Core
Strength and toughness
Ambiguity
Flexible in strange circumstances
Goal driven
Outcome orientation
Flexible thought
Mental agility around difference
Empathy
EQ, positively interactive
Reading people
Sensitive to the message of others

15. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
What can we DO?
• Technical skills?
• Cultural skills?
• Do we include the partner/dependents?
• What are we looking for?
• What do we do when we find it?

16. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Conclusions and Review

17. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
What can we change?
• Assessing for
intercultural
competencies may
have positively
influenced 95% of
failed assignments
• Preventing early return
saves money
Source: EY, Global Mobility Effectiveness Survey, 2012
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Causes for failure of
expat assignments

18. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Review
• Skills and competencies for the job
• Intercultural competence
• How can we fruitfully use them?
• Learning and development
• Coaching, practice, dialogue
• Selection, mobility and development

19. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Conclusion
• Inclusive approach
• Past, present and future
• Common sense is not so
common
• Continuous improvement
• Managers, trainers,
mobility, recruiters and HR
Any questions?

20. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
Thank you

21. How Global Mobility can help to select the right candidate for the right location 19 May 2014© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2014
For more information about Communicaid’s training
solutions, please contact:
info@communicaid.com
+44 (0)20 3370 8580
www.communicaid.com
Training, coaching and consultancy in global
leadership, intercultural, language and international
business skills