Charles A Hsndler aod lrvmg M Lane. Louisiana State University

Michwl Maher, tiR Director, Dalpty

y overall view on this article was that it was an excellent review of available material M but the survey methOdOloSy and condusions added little and gave few pointers as to how companies should react in the Coming years. The research and paper are driven by two basic false assumptions: 0 to establish what is happening within an organisation today, YOU ask the HR people;

CarreT planning and duaiareer couples @C&) a significant cause of non-success in inQmational assignments. What their research did confirm was already well known, namely that the use of

expatria- is hetp to stay and that without attributing the cause m d y , assignments may become more difficult in the years to come. From a practical - rather than academic - Perspective, the inclusion of Bennett's (1993) work adds value. The two checklists should be looked at by ali, particular ly cot~~panies sendu\g and miving executives in multinationals. On the career planning side, one certain way to minimise SOW of the career downside is to manage the relationships back with the home mrnpany by ensuring that ow HR systems do not cause the damage -a typical issue for most expatriate compensatim programmes.

One technique used to great effect involves a briefing by expatriates to their home management team/peers on the commercial and functional issues addressed on the aSS&iment, including learning how they can be applied back home. This keeps their profile high, rather than relying on long-range tamer pmgrammes.

Another area where both career planning and X C issues seem to lack relevance is that, because organisations are changmg at such a pace, there may not be the opportunities tf\at previously existed for career mobility. To argue that expatriation in itself will add to the long-term f u ~ globalisation of firms is simply 'dreamjng'. The expatriate population at best might be 0.05 per cent of the total workfoxe - I, and many of my peers, find it difficult to accept how this can have such a significnt impact on organisations.

There are areas where we should, as European HR people, take notice of either the background man3 or survey findings: 1. Whatever the reason, assignments will become more difficult, and better selection

assessment and preparation of assignees and families will help this pmcess. 2. We need to separate out the DCC issue into its real components - it is not, as is widely

believed, a 'catch-all' for everything to do with the famiIy. 3. In terms of DCCs, we have to be careful that in regularising the ad hoc solutions, we do not

create a far bigger problea Why is the inter~tional move any different from the domestic one?Arethererisksofd' . . tion?

4.Career planning in both the domestic and international areas is an imprecise art. Embracing the principles set out by Bennett will add value, but must not be BtriCted to expatriates - the same issues apply for all seer moves and all managers.

5.The debate inside companies has got to be turned into a business debate, not an HR solution to an HR-pemived problem overall, the paper adds value by summarising the current research, but raises more

questions in terms of the survey and mnclusions. Access to inkmtiod experience is the key and this can be to all managerS/executives as they develop thtough a corporation. That is the challenge fOr~incompanies today.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL - V M 7 NO 3 79