Expatriate Employees Performance Management

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Performance Management

Overview

From the onset, it would be prudent to note that one of the most crucial elements in as far as strategic global HR management is concerned happens to be expatriate performance management. It therefore follows that the relevance of developing an effective expatriate performance management system cannot be overstated for multinationals that intend to remain competitive in an increasingly competitive global business arena. This write-up largely concerns itself with performance management systems in corporations with operations in multiple locations across the world.

Discussion

a) Expatriate Performance Management System: Key Variables

One of the most crucial variables on this front happens to be performance expectation. This has been defined by Adler (2018) as “how the assigned duties and responsibilities should be performed” (74). Thus, on this front, the focus ought to be on what is required of the employee, i.e. in as far as expected results are concerned.

The second key variable happens to be performance evaluation. This relates to the measurement of the extent to which the job responsibilities assigned to the employee are being fulfilled.

Third, we have contextual considerations as yet another key variable that should be addressed on this front. This is especially important because as Smither and London (2009), point out, “context is the key to understanding appraisal in organizations” (115). This is useful because the context in which the performance of various roles and duties takes place differs from one place to another.

Next, we have fairness as the other important variable in as far as expatriate performance management system is concerned. According to Cokins (2020), some performance management systems fail to function as intended because of their failure to ensure that they are equitable.

Lastly, we have career development. In this case, there would be need to put measures in place to ensure that expatriate employees have opportunities to keep advancing along their preferred career path.

b) Elements to be taken into Consideration in Performance Management Systems

With regard to performance expectation, one of the elements that ought to be taken into consideration in the performance management systems is planning and goal setting. In this case, exactly what constitutes effective or acceptable performance has to be clearly stated (Cokins, 2020). This should ideally be done at the onset of the performance cycle. Given that the specifics of each role happen to be unique, this particular element ought to be tailor-made for each role. However, it should be noted that the orientation of planning and goal setting remains similar across all roles as the overall objective, i.e. effective performance, is similar across the board. Next, we have employee involvement. Without the active involvement of this key stakeholder group, the performance of assigned duties and roles is likely to suffer. Thus, for the performance management system to be effective, in relation to performance expectation, there is need to ensure that employees are roped in. Lastly, we have monitoring and feedback as yet another key element on this front. This is especially instrumental in seeking to not only correct deviations from expected performance, but also provide opportunities for improvement.

Next, when it comes to performance evaluation, one of the elements that should be taken into consideration is appraisal. This has been defined by Adler (2018) as the “evaluation of an employee's job performance against a set of expectations and goals” (179). As the author in this case further indicates, the relevance of transparency on this front cannot be overstated. This is more so the case given that lack of transparency could result in the overrepresentation or underrepresentation of performance. Secondly, another key element happens to be periodic evaluation. In the absence of periodic evaluation, it is difficult to come up with an objective report card.

Third, we have contextual considerations. Crucial elements in this case could be inclusive of, but they are not limited to; cross-cultural adjustment and legislation. Cross-cultural adjustment has got to do with the host country’s culture and the extent to which the expatriate adapts (i.e. from a psychological perspective). On the other hand, legislation could dictate a wide range of aspects of relevance to performance management, i.e. with regard to fair work regulations.

Next, with regard to fairness, some of the key elements include dialogue, consistency, and documentation. While dialogue has got to do with engaging employees with an intention of better understanding factors that impede performance, consistency relates to ensuring that there are no unjustified material variations in systematic approaches used to measure employees’ performance during the performance cycle (Smither and London, 2009). Third, the process ought to be documented so as to ease goal-tracking efforts and, thus, rein in any perception of partiality.

Lastly, when it comes to career development, elements of relevance are inclusive of training and continuing education. Training seeks to ensure that employees are empowered to effectively perform in their assigned roles. Over time, this promotes self-reliance – and, hence, accelerated career growth. Continuing education relates to the pursuit of further learning typically via an institution of higher learning. In this case, an organization can seek to incentivize certifications.

c) The Conduct of Expatriate Performance Evaluation: Key Challenges

One of the challenges with conducting expatriate performance evaluations happens to be what Cardy and Leonard (2014) refer to as “host national management’s perception of actual job performance” (211). According to the authors, in some scenarios, there may be need to involve local management in the evaluation of the expatriate employee. The problem on this front happens to be the deployment of the cultural frame of the host nation to undertake the same evaluation. This could result in a misfit of sorts in as far as expectations are concerned – and, hence, the likelihood of an otherwise competent employee being deemed incompetent (Cardy and Leonard, 2014).