Microsoft Word - APAM-2 4.1.doc

(1980) which identified cultural dimensions that affect international organisations. The-
se were later put into dualities (Bento & Ferreira 1992), and were adapted by Schuler
(2000) and are hereby re-adapted as shown in Figure 11.1.

Figure 11.1 Cultural dimensions in IHRM

Source: adapted from Schuler (2000).

Figure 11.1 depicts dual dimensions of culture depending on continent; country and
organisation have effects on perceptions and interpretations of organisational effective-
ness as shown by the arrow. These differences are sources of challenges in human re-
source management in internationally based organisations or those that interact with
international firms. Therefore, as well advanced by Sparrow & Hiltrop (1997), interna-
tional human resource management concentrates on functions and activities in relation
to relocation, orientation, and translation of services to help employees adapt to a new
international environment. In this case, the human resource department overseas must
be responsive to the cultural, political and legal environment of the host country. How-
ever, the bigger the cultural differences, the more complex managing people in an inter-
national setting becomes. Sometimes foreign staff have to be assisted in adapting to the
situation rather making human resource functions flexible to the level desired by all
international staff, as it may not be realistic.

Sources of human resources in an international organisation

The sources of human resources in international organisations are expatriates, host
countries and third parties (Scullion 1995; Gomez-Mejia et al. 2009). There are several
advantages with each source of human resources as shown in Table 11.2.

Differences in:

1. Defining effective manager


2. Providing face to face feedback


3. Readiness to accept international
   assignments


4. Expectations of manger/subordinate
   relationships


5. Pay systems and concept of justice


6. Approach to the organisational restruc-
   turing and strategic dynamics


7. Meaning of time deadline


8. Meaning of good performance

E F F E C T S

Duality dimensions of culture

Equality

Certainty

Controllability

Individualism

Materialism

Time conscious

Risk taking

Need for

achievement

Complacency

Inequality

Uncertainty

Uncontrollabil-

ity Collectivism

Personalisation

Laissez faire

Risk averse