Question

In regard to the challenges associated with Internationalized SME's, I agree with you that training is a must prior to deployment. When you mentioned education of the employee's, are you referring to qualifications prior to hiring for the assignment? Or afterwards? Is the education and training handled together by a HRM department?  

Answer 1

When mentioning the 'education' of the employee, I am referring to his qualifications prior to hiring for the assignment. It is important for the employee to be educated before he is deployed.

Globalization of SMEs brings with it, its own set of drawbacks, the most important one being a lack of proper training and education before deploying the employee. When an employee is deployed to another country without proper training, he goes into culture shock. He is unprepared for the job position and for the new country culture. This can affect the employee's state of mind, thereby affecting his levels of productivity and job performance. He will lack the motivation to continue with the job and would want to be back in his home country. Such a situation can be avoided if the employee is given proper training regarding these aspects prior to being deployed.

The education and training for the employee are not handled together by the HRM department. It is rather handled by a body called the 'Expatriate Training Body' whose sole purpose is to prep the employee for deployment. They prep him physically and mentally to avoid further complications when he teaches the host country. Through effective expatriate training, the employee can continue to do his job smoothly in a country that isn't his native. This is the main objective of expatriate training.