As American organizations open operations in overseas locations they must continually look for emerging talent and skills among the host population. However, with each new culture the organization encounters they also encounter new methods of recruitment and selection that may not be congruent to American standards of conducting business. This places many executives between a rock in a hard place where the necessity of getting operations running quickly and following a code of ethics difficult.
Imagine for a moment that you move part of your operations to Afghanistan or Kenya where tribal considerations take precedence. New managers, government officials and even the tribesmen themselves may be promoting the hiring of their relatives, friends and tribal associates while discriminating against those who are of a different origin. The concept of cronyism could have a serious effect on your long-term international operations and growth if the best person for the job is not hired.
A study of hiring managers state that 57% of these hiring managers felt that finding qualified candidates was difficult in 2006 and 91% said that it will get even more difficult in 2007 (Hiring Managers say, 2007). Since skills makes sense from a corporate stand point and a profit outlook then skills should be given the highest priority for recruitment whether or not the company is in the U.S. or overseas. Hiring by other factors such as race, tribal affiliation and religion doesn’t improve the performance of the company.
It may be interesting to note that not all companies hire by skill alone and find that they are playing into the politics of local leaders and violating ethical considerations. For example, some Western nations that move international aid agencies into countries like Uganda may coax the local population to covert to Christianity in exchange for jobs according to a human rights report (Unfair, Exploitive, 2007). These types of situations create tension with the local population and the organization attempting to do business in the area.
In countries like Egypt man social factors such as gender, family relationships and religion can be a factor in how companies recruit employees (Leat & El-Kot, 2007). If this is the case then the employer may not be getting the most qualified candidate for the position. In addition, organizations become political extensions of the government or the culture of the people and this may work against operational standards.
One of the ways that organizations remove local politics and cultural issues from the venue is by requiring American professionals make hiring decisions with the help of their international employees (Frauenheim, 2006). By utilizing a team of local recruiters with American oversight companies can better ensure that the skills of the workers are best matched to the employer versus to the culture in which the employees reside.
Frauenheim, E. (2006). Dell reboots recruitment for international approach. Workforce Management, 85 (7).
Hiring managers say finding talent is now more difficult (2007). Compensation & Benefits for Law Offices, 7 (11).
Leat, M. & El-Kot, G. (2007). HRM practices in Egypt: the influence of national context? International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18 (1).
Unfair, exploitative, abusive ways to acquire jobs in Northern Uganda (2007). World News Connection. Retrieved January 31, 2008 from Ebscohost.