Business: International Assignments©

INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS

International assignments are growing ever more common. Historically, the number of people on international assignments has grown 48% annually. Personal and family issues rank among the top reasons international assignments are unsuccessful. A GMAC relocation study revealed 67% of failed assignments were due to family adjustment issues. The 2011 Brookfield Relocation Survey found that 89% of people on international assignments considered cross-cultural training as having good or great value.

Through its research and analysis, Universal Consensus has defined success factors that must be considered for international assignments:

1. Aligning the right person with the right international assignment is critical. While an individual may have the skill-set and core competency to perform the work, that person may not have the intercultural communication skills or cultural awareness to successfully manage a project or motivate a team.
2. The individual must be empowered with the core tools to manage all international stakeholders both on a personal and professional level.
3. Special outreach and ongoing training and support must be conducted for the family. Distractions within the family will negatively impact an employees’ international assignments performance.

THE UNIVERSAL CONSENSUS SOLUTION – INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS

There of course are books of dos-and-don’ts on each culture. At Universal Consensus, we feel that this type of training is hard to utilize unless it is complemented by a cross-cultural international assignments model, such as our proprietary Business Model of Intercultural Analysis (BMIA)©. Our international assignment training is based on adult learning theory and consequently incorporates many of the components that people find great about training: customized curriculum to fit international assignments, group exercises and role-play, case-studies, helpful videos, and real-world examples. Also, shared experience from trainers who lived, studied, and worked abroad and completed international assignments themselves.

Universal Consensus works with each client individually to:

1. Understand the business goals and objectives of the assignment.
2. Assess the employee and the family to capture a baseline understanding of their intercultural communication skills.
3. Execute a plan using the Universal Consensus Business Model of Intercultural Analysis [BMIA] to strengthen individual and family competencies to ensure a successful relocation.
4. Provide a toolkit for coping with and resolving conflicts.
5. Meet the evolving needs of the clients throughout the transfer.
6. Prepare a plan for repatriation, if applicable.

THE UNIVERSAL CONSENSUS DIFFERENCE – INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS

Universal Consensus Director, Denise Pirrotti-Hummel, J.D., is committed to providing the highest quality service for clients. She and her team of worldwide experts customize each program and equip employees with the tools to enhance their performance and exceed expectations. Ms. Pirrotti Hummel has published a book on her international assignment experience with her family in Italy. Speak Milk. Drink Wine. Is available on Amazon.com.

“With more than 10 million frequent flyer miles on one airline alone, I know a little about travel good and bad. Even so, Denise Pirrotti Hummel’s Speak Milk. Drink Wine. has taught this die-hard traveler much about making dreams reality. This inspiring tale is a joy to read!”  – Marshall Goldsmith, acclaimed author and Thinkers50 #1 World’s Most Influential Leadership Thinker in 2011.

We are more than happy to answer any question you might have or provide you with additional general information. Send us an e-mail at info@universalconsensus.com or call our office at +1 (760) 696-0151 [GMT-8].