The challenge of international human resource management: balancing the duality of strategy and practice

Abstract

Over the last two decades there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of organizations that have internationalized their operations. The international movement of labour that has been concomitant with such expansion of international business has meant that issues associated with the management of human resources across international borders are increasingly important to international human resource managers and academics. The research presented in this paper examines international human resource management (IHRM) pedagogy and practice in Australia. It reports IHRM academicians' and practitioners' understanding of the major issues for teaching and practice in IHRM and elucidates current developments and directions for this field.

International talent flow and intention to repatriate: an identity explanation

“…We hypothesized that the personal network factor would push individuals to Australia. However, as 39% of our respondents had been overseas for six years or more, they represent a group which is broader than those company-initiated expatriates, typically on assignments of two to five years, who have dominated expatriate research to date (De Cieri, Fenwick, and Hutchings 2005). It is likely that our respondents have formed new personal networks in their host countries, their partners' careers may be tied to the host country (Moore 2002), and these ties create a form of dual allegiance to both home and host countries (Black and Gregersen 1992).…”

“…Employment Much of the research in the field of international human resource management has focused on expatriates who are sent on international assignments as a step in their career in a multinational enterprise (MNE) (Yan, Zhu, and Hall 2002;De Cieri, Fenwick, and Hutchings 2005). Inkson et al (1997), however, defined and distinguished two types of international experience, 'expatriate' and 'overseas'.…”

Globalization Implications for Human Resource Management Roles

“…HRM practices must improve given the high expatriate failure rate in terms of costs and retention upon return (DeCieri et al 2005). HRM practices must improve in order to address issues of dual career families, compensation, safety, and career continuance.…”

“…In addition to the standard subject matter taught in higher education business programs, DeCieri et al (2005) suggested the realignment of HRM curriculum to focus on cross-cultural management and flexible international organizations. The increased demands placed upon HRM by globalization warrants increased attention to these domains.…”

“…In addition to free trade zones, other forces that facilitate globalization include reduced labor and production costs in underdeveloped countries, increased demand for products that are similar across cultures (e.g., cell phones), reduced global transportation costs, technology advancements (e.g., Internet), and internationally recognized standards such as ISO 9000 (Harris and Morgan 1996). As a result, an unprecedented number of organizations have increased the international focus of their businesses (DeCieri et al 2005).…”