The work of the human resource management in internationally operating organisations is focused on the effective training and development of employees in order to increase the workers’ qualification and create the professional teams in all the departments of the company in spite of their location.
From this point, internationally operating organisations develop specific training and development programs which are oriented to improve the employees’ performance and productivity along with contributing to the positive atmosphere at workplace. To guarantee the employees’ career development and professional growth, it is possible to use training and development programs which are retained centrally or handled locally.
Thus, on-the-job and online training and development programs along with the cultural awareness programs are effective when they are handled locally, and workshops and seminars can be conducted centrally as well as the specific programs of assessment developed to receive the information about the definite employees’ abilities, achievements, and preferences.
Training and development programs are used in companies to increase the employees’ potential and job satisfaction which often results in improving of job performance and productivity (Porter & Tansky 1999). These programs are necessary to provide the employees with the opportunity to develop their career and avoid the significant gap in the employees’ qualification with the help of the appropriate training (Al Ariss 2010).
From this perspective, those programs which are oriented to the unification of the work of all the international company’s departments should be conducted centrally. Internal specialists can conduct theoretical lectures and practical seminars and workshops in order to provide the multinational specialists with the knowledge of the specifics of the company’s work.
The employees’ results and achievements should be also assessed centrally. Moreover, specific assessment programs which are conducted centrally are necessary to examine the employees’ competencies and skills with references to the company’s standards and requirements (Sims 2007).
If the necessary training and development programs are not based on the company’s central office, employees do not receive the necessary knowledge about the requirements and standards followed within the organization.
Much attention should be paid to the cross-training activities and expatriate training. The focus on the international assignments as the component of the development programs is effective for improving the work of the local company’s departments (Bennett, Aston, & Colquhoun 2000). Before receiving the training retained centrally, the employee should also complete the pre-departure training conducted locally.
Moreover, all the specialists who are prepared to work in the other country should be provided with the necessary pre-departure training in spite of their position and specialization. The programs oriented to the work with the foreign language and culture are important.
The role of the local training and usage of the development programs is important because of the specifics of working in the international companies. It is a difficult process to organise the participation of the majority of employees in seminars and training programs which are retained centrally. Specialists are often invited to participate in such types of the career development and training programs.
However, many training programs can be available for employees locally. On-the-job training which is conducted by the foreign specialists is effective because employees improve their knowledge and skills without interrupting their working process (Dowling, Festing, & Engle 2008).
According to Suutari, much attention is paid to the development of the workers’ practical abilities (Suutari 2001). The task of the human resource management is to develop the effective schedule, choosing the relevant subject for the program and appropriate number of hours for the programme’s realisation.
It is also important to focus on the aspects of cross-training and job rotation as the effective methods to develop the employees’ skills and abilities.
If the results of cross-training involving specialists from different departments of the international company can be assessed after the completion of training with references to the employees’ practical usage of the acquired skills, the effects of job rotation cannot be assessed immediately (Sims 2007). Sims also states that job rotation as the effective development program is the prolonged activity (Sims 2007).
Those persons who exchange their positions develop new competencies and skills. It is important to note that job rotation can be based on the local resources of the company as well as to be international, referring to the needs of the company (Goergen, Brewster, & Wood 2009; Wang & McLean 2007).
Thus, many leaders of the international organizations practise job rotation among the specialists from different countries in order to develop the competencies and abilities of employees working in the multinational corporations.
Training and development programs can be implemented in international corporations centrally or locally depending on the company’s needs, resources, and associated costs.
From this point, those programs which are implemented locally are discussed as more profitable when the programs retained centrally more contribute to the increase of the employees’ qualification. That is why, the many international companies use both the types of programs to respond to the corporate needs.
References
Al Ariss, A 2010, ‘Modes of engagement: migration, self-initiated expatriation, and career development’, Career Development International, vol. 15 no. 4, pp. 338-358.
Bennett, R, Aston, A, & Colquhoun, T 2000, ‘Cross-cultural training: A critical step in ensuring the success of international assignments’, Human Resource Management, vol. 39 no. 2, pp. 2-3.
Dowling, P, Festing, M, & Engle, A 2008, International human resource management: Managing people in a multinational context, Thomson Learning, London.
Goergen, M, Brewster, C, & Wood, G 2009, ‘Corporate governance and training’, Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 51 no. 4, pp. 461-489.
Porter, G, & Tansky, J 1999, ‘Expatriate success may depend on a “learning orientation”: Considerations for selection and training’, Human Resource Management, vol. 38 no. 1, pp. 47-60.
Sims, R 2007, Human resource management: Contemporary issues, challenges and opportunities, IAP, USA.
Suutari, V 2001, ‘Role of on site training and support in expatriation: Existing and necessary host company practices’, Career Development International, vol. 6 no. 6, pp.298-311.
Wang, X, & McLean, G 2007, ‘The dilemma of defining international human resource development, Human Resource Development Review, vol. 6 no. 1, pp. 96-108.