Identification of the Roles and Responsibilities of International Human Resources Managers (Research Paper Sample)

Roles of International Managers
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Roles and Responsibilities of International Managers
Introduction
Developing leaders who have the ability to manage an increased complexity of running organizations within a global scale is one of the highest priorities of human resource for a larger percentage of international organizational leaders. As a result, managing career paths is regarded as a critical challenge by several organizations. Managing an international team means interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds speaking different languages. This can be quite a challenge for the international manager calling for the adopting of different communication skills to ensure an effective management. However, besides the effective communication skills, an international manager is required to exhibit several qualities such as being flexible, adaptable, ability to speak in foreign language, and one with a high ability of making friends with people from different nationalities. Despite the fact that an international manager conducts the same functions as a domestic manager, he is highly required to adjust to the existing variables within the international environment to ensure a successful management.
Roles and Contributions of International Assignments
An international assignment refers to a situation when an individual is sent to work and stay within an international country for a period of between 2 and 3 years. International assignments play several considerable roles such as ensuring an increased know-how. According to Aguilera (2004), organizations utilize international assignments as a way of building its know-how competencies as a way of advancing and enhancing its career system. In addition, an expatriate manager is also regarded as an individual who ensures the continuity of a multinational corporation while ensuring a perfect fit is achieved between the practices of the multinational firm and the local demands. The figure below provides an insight into the roles and responsibilities of managers.
Source: Aguilera (2004).
Drawing from the perspective of an individual, it is evident that a person sent on an international assignment will always be exposed to various experiences such as an increased intercultural interaction which further increases their level of self-confidence. Incidentally, being sent on an international assignment always exposes an international manager to various commercial experiences, especially when an individual is provided with a large and complex organization to run. Arguably, when faced with difficult situations, the manager will always end up struggling and brainstorming in order to identify the solution to the problem in question hence boosting the manager’s level of confidence to handle a similar situation in future.
Managerial roles are associated with an international value as outlined by the universal theory of management. However, it is prevalent that the work of a manager differs from one geographic location to the other.
There are two types of international managers such as the representatives and the actual expats. The representatives are assigned through the local network support programs and they conduct their duties from the home country while the expats are assigned to work within the new international environment. Corporate norms are ensured through international transfers of an international manager on a permanent of an expat basis. The manager will be obliged to ensure that all corporate norms of the company at the home country is respected and implemented within the international firm.
Attributes of Effective International Managers
Black, Morrison and Gregersen (1999) illustrates that global leaders are required to be analytical and knowledgeable in order to manage both competition and complexity, balance and hard drive, and to embrace both a global and a balanced mindset to operate a firm within an international context. However, different researchers such as have criticized the outlined requirements stating that it is difficult to differentiate between character, responsibility, skill, mindset and action as this ends up distracting several leaders on the various attributes which they have to implement in order to be success within an international spectrum.
An international manager must exhibit character. According to Brake (1997) character has two main dimensions such as demonstrating a high level of personal integrity and exhibiting a high ability of connecting with people. Incidentally, these attributes are regarded as some of the essential features of international managers which engender trust and goodwill within a global environment. The ability to connect emotionally with people has its basis upon the ability of establishing a close personal relationship with the people in the surrounding. For the international manager, emotional connections are important since they assist the manager in gauging the local market, understanding the behavior of the competitors and customers, and understanding the government within a limited period of time. In addition, emotional connections are vital based on the fact that they assist the international leader in understanding the local conditions existing within the company. Furthermore, the connections assist the manager to indentify any future leaders and even mentor them in the process. Brake (1997) further indicates that by connecting emotionally, global leaders have the ability of overcoming any real barriers which they may encounter when it comes to communication, which is one of the main aspects which separate people across and within different cultures as well as vast geographical localities. Incidentally, global leaders achieve this through demonstrating a sincere interest as well as concern for all the people in the new environment. Also, the managers can achieve this through heightening their ability to listen to different points of view and showing that they are in understanding. Despite this, exhibiting high levels of integrity makes it easier for the international managers to choose the best actions to implement at any point in time, within the international spectrum.
Effective international managers should indicate a high level of integrity. This refers to a strong level of commitment to company and personal standards despite the massive pressures accrued from cultural differences which calls the international manager to implement an ethical approach in dealing with the situation. Considering internal matters, it is evident that local norms may permit international managers to take part in activities which may be intolerable in their home countries. For instance, taking part in unethical treatment of employees may be considered undesirable in many countries while others, mostly developing countries, consider it to be normal.
There are several skills which international managers have to possess to ensure success of their management in international firms. For instance, an international manager is always required to be adaptable when handling international assignments. Incidentally, the international environment is a new environment for the manager in this case. As a result, the manager is required to adapt to the new changes, including unexpected circumstances which originate from the entirely new environment. Being able to adapt to the new environment means that the manager can easily innovate and brain storm and even come up with new ideas of solving any problems which arise in firms within an international spectrum. Payne, Youngcourt and Watrous (2006) provides that international managers are required to be adaptable and at the same time exhibit high levels of ambiguity and tolerance.
Effective international managers are also known to be flexible. Flexibility is an ability of dealing with different situations at different points in time as they set in. International managers are always faced with various cases which they must deal with on a daily basis within the new international environment. However, when an international manager is flexible, he or she will find it easier to implement various global processes and standards to deal with different situations within the international firm at any point when they come in.
Effective international managers are also open-minded. This means that they have an ability of welcoming new ideas and looking and both the positive and the negative possibilities of the ideas. This increases the likelihood of success as the manager will have broad options to pick from when dealing with different issues likely to affect the international organization.
Ability to speak in different international languages is also an attribute of effective international managers. This is based on the fact that an international environment is always composed of different people with different cultural backgrounds. As a result, it may be difficult communicating to people from different cultures. However, knowledge of different international languages makes it easy for the manager to communicate with people within the international firm and even come to an agreement on various matters pertaining to the operability of the firm therefore ensuring the success of the international assignment.
The statement on the attributes of international managers is more than 20 years old and various managerial attributes have evolved. This shows that the outlined attributes within the statement are not sufficient enough based on the fact that the global environment is also evolving. In support of this, indicates that Effective international managers are said to be flexible, adaptable, speaking in foreign languages, open minded, and making friends with people from different nationalities. This does not however determine the effectiveness of the manager when he first reaches the international firm. This is base...