4 ADVANTAGES FOR FEMALE INTERNATIONAL
MANAGERS
In the light of the many disadvantages faced by women international managers,
the advantages are harder to define. Adler (1993) summarises some potential
advantages from her research studies as follows:
- Visibility. Many of the women in Adler’s study of expatriates in the Pacific Rim
countries reported their high visibility as an advantage, as foreign clients were
curious about them and anxious to meet them. They were also more easily
remembered. - Interpersonal skills. The female managers in the study also discovered a number
of advantages relating to their interpersonal skills; local men, for instance,
appeared to be able to talk to them more easily than to male expatriates about
a wide range of topics. - Novelty. Because of the rarity of women in international management positions,
many foreign clients assume that the women who are sent must be ‘the best’.
This situation is likely to change with the appearance of more and more inter-
national women managers. - Domestic help. Some of the role overload experienced by female managers in general
can be alleviated on international assignments by the availability of domestic help.
Avenues for change
Increased participation for women in international management is a possibil-
ity if both organisations and women adopt a flexible approach to international
assignments. Evidence that international assignment experience is a prerequi-
site for progression to senior management makes the minimal representation
of women a fundamental equality issue for any organisation operating in the
global arena. Equally, from a business perspective, failure to utilise and develop
a significant and growing proportion of their human resources in an increas-
ingly knowledge-based global economy will result in organisations losing a
vital component of competitive advantage. Evidence of widespread use of
closed/informal systems for selection to international management assign-
ments raises serious concerns with regard to ensuring objective and unbiased
decision-making in this process. Organisations need to:
1 Become more strategic in their planning for international assignments in order
to prevent ad-hoc and informal placements which may replicatean existing
expatriate profile and prevent the adoption of alternative approaches.
376 International Human Resource Management