Chapter 15: Managing Human Resources Globally

Concept and Brief Description: As economic and technological change creates a global environment, human resource planning is involved in decisions about participating as an exporter or as an international, multination, or global company. Even purely domestic companies may draw talent from the international labor market.

Emotional Hook: If you were placed in charge of sending a manager to work in a foreign organization, what cultural factors do you need to know in order to be successful? How will you know how to integrate yourself effectively in order to manage, lead, and be successful in the assignment?

Key Points:

Hofstede’s 5 Dimensions of Culture:

1. Individualism/Collectivism: relationship between individual & society

2. Power Distance: unequal distance of power. Is society ok or not ok with amount of distance.

3. Uncertainty Avoidance: how culture handles predictability or not

4. Masculitity/Feminism: male or female dominant

5. Long-term/Short-term Orientation: Focuses on values of future goals