Managing the Global Workforce

Human resource management (HRM) is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organization's employees. As the need for effective and top staff rises, Managing the Global Workforce provides the most up to date and topical information on accessing human resource management. Written by Paula Caligiuri, an author recognized as one of the most prolific authors in the field of international business for her work in global careers, this book covers the full range of strategic, comparative, and cross-cultural issues affecting the way a workforce is managed globally.

About the Authors ix

Chapter 1 Introduction to International Dimensions of Human Resource Management 1

Chapter 2 Global Business Strategy: The Foundation for Managing the Global Workforce 9

Chapter 3 Comparative HR Systems: The Context for Managing the Global Workforce 41

Chapter 4 Cross-cultural Differences: The Cultural Lens for Managing the Global Workforce 73

Chapter 5 Global Workforce Planning: The Global Mobility of People, Jobs, and Knowledge 101

Chapter 6 Managing Competencies: Recruitment, Selection, Training and Development of the Global Workforce 127

Chapter 7 Managing Attitudes and Behavior: Motivating and Rewarding the Global Workforce 163

Chapter 8 Conclusions 199

Index 207

Paula Caligiuri
Professor of Human Resource Management
School of Management and Labor Relations
Rutgers University, USA

As a leading expert in international human resource management, Paula has been recognized as one of the most prolific authors in the field of international business for her work in global careers, expatriate management, and global leadership development. She has lectured in numerous universities and consulted for many organizations in the United States, Asia, and Europe.

Paula is also a popular blogger on these topics (www.PaulaCaligiuri.com). Her publishing successes include Get a Life, Not a Job (2010), and Harmonizing Work, Family, and Personal Life (with Steven Poelmans; 2008) as well as many articles in the leading international HR journals.

David Lepak
Professor of Human Resource Management and Chairperson of the Human Resource Management, School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers University, USA

David received his PhD in management from the Pennsylvania State University and is a leading scholar in the strategic management of human resources and teaches and conducts research on a variety of human resource topics with dual interests in strategic human resource management and international human resource management. He is a frequent presenter to many domestic and international audiences.

David has co-authored a comprehensive textbook with Mary Gowan, entitled Human Resource Management (Prentice Hall, 2008). His research has appeared in a variety of outlets such as: Research in Personnel and Human Resource Management, Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Management, Human Resource Management and Human Resource Management Review, among others.

Jaime Bonache
Professor of Human Resources
ESADE Business School, Spa

Jaime is widely recognized as one of Europe’s leading authorities on international human resource management. He has written/edited four books, two of them (Dirección Estratégica de Personas and Dirección de Personas, with Angel Cabrera) have been best-sellers in a number of Spanish-speaking countries. He has been guest editor of four special issues on trends in international human resources and published a large number of articles in leading journals. He is also Visiting Professor at the Cranfield School of Management (UK).

In today’s highly competitive global business environment, organizations need to aggressively compete for new markets, products, services, and top human talent in order to develop and sustain competitive advantage in the global arena. For many years, international firms have effectively managed their financial and material resources globally, leveraging economies of scale, low cost production, currency fluctuations, and the like. Human resources, as all other resources in multinational firms, are now being managed on a global scale.

In our ever-increasing knowledge economy, winning in the global arena will largely depend on how well firms can leverage, attract, develop, engage and motivate the strategic capabilities of their human talent globally