Executive Coaching - A Guide For The HR Professional.pdf

Multi-Cultural Issues 119
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of, and the communication with, overseas operations. Coaching can
help the executives gain some insight into the values and beliefs of
others from different countries. This kind of alignment of human
resources strategy with business strategy can lead to greater job satisfaction
and productivity for each individual client and for the
organization as a whole.
Cross-Cultural Coaching Methods
The choice of a coaching tool or a combination of methods
depends, of course, on the client’s needs. Members of certain cultures
will find certain tools more acceptable than others. Furthermore,
the tasks that the client needs to accomplish in a foreign
assignment will vary, as will the required extent of interaction with
locals. Also, the greater the similarity between the home and the
host cultures, the smoother the transition is likely to be.
Regardless of the method chosen, it has to be remembered that
training and development should not be seen as an event but as a
continuous process, which in the case of expatriates starts before
the foreign assignment and lasts until repatriation.
The following gives an overview of the most commonly used
techniques employed in cross-cultural development efforts.
Simulations
Role playing: clients imagine themselves in situations presented by
the coach and they act out simulated roles.
Case studies: clients are asked to develop a course of action for
a particular problem. Solutions are then discussed with a coach
(either in an individual or group context).
Instructional games/action planning: clients are given simplified
real-life situations and they examine potential strategies that can
be used to bridge cultural differences. The focus is on the development
of interpersonal communication and business skills.