"Gone
Local"
Expatriates
Expatriates posted long enough to
overseas countries will eventually stop thinking of themselves
as foreigners passing through and begin to think of themselves
as long-term or even permanent residents. Over time, people
naturally develop strong emotional
attachment to the host country and its people, and admit that they
would have a difficult time re-integrating into their home countries. It
is at this time that they are said to have “gone local” or
localized.
The time range when this profound
transformation occurs is generally accepted to be between 5 and 7 years.
It is interesting that this same time frame is also when most
expatriates are considered to have achieved functional mastery
in the local business and social environment.
Various studies by global organizations that employ large numbers of
expatriates have confirmed this psychologically important milestone. It
is for this reason that it is usually very difficult to repatriate
managers who have remained in a single country for more than 5 to 7
years. When pushed to return to the home country, expatriates will usually create
all manner of justifications to resist transfer and work feverously
behind the scenes to find other employers who will allow them to
remain.
Even if relocation
to the home country is possible, the readjustment back to the “real
world” is often not possible or desired. Research has found that most expatriates
repatriated after long periods overseas will leave their employers
within 18 months of returning to their home countries.
That’s why typical postings are 2 to 4
years
Despite the difficulty of achieving expert competence in a country in
less than 5 years, most organizations have long-standing policies
limiting overseas postings to 2 to 3 years (with a possible extension
of 1 year). This range is considered the optimum compromise between
allowing enough time for their expatriates to become functionally
proficient but preventing them entering the “gone local” phase that
risks losing the expatriate forever. It is an imperfect trade-off but
it seems to be all that is possible.
Pity the
Local Expat
That said, many extremely successful postings are performed by
expatriates who decide to remain within their adopted countries for the
long-term. The greatest risk in such cases is for the careers of the
expatriates themselves.
When expatriates are posted to emerging countries, they are focused
mainly in activities that transfer skills to the locals who report to them. There are less opportunities for them to acquire new skills to
keep pace with continuing progress with the rest of the world.
The result is that the skills of localized expatriate managers become
obsolete over time. Sadly, many find themselves out of work well before they are able
financially to retire but at an age when it is difficult to regain their careers.
Hiring
Leaders
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region with specific focus on Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos.
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proactive and well known in our sectors of focus. Regional
Managers use us to help bridge the gap between local environments and
the world-class requirements of multinational corporations.
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Asia
CEO Forum
Asia
CEO Forum presented by PLDT ALPHA Enterprise is the largest
regular business event in Philippines and considered one of the
most important in the Southeast Asia region. The forum serves as a
hub for the spreading of ideas that help executive managers
overseeing enterprises across the Asia Pacific region.
Attendees are both expatriate and Asian management personnel
overseeing multinational and regional organizations. Held in
Philippines, presenters are leaders in their industries and
engaged in momentous pursuits of significance to the entire
region.
Asia
CEO Forum is operated as a CSR (Corporate Social
Responsibility) activity of Chalre Associates, one of Southeast
Asia's most prominent senior management executive search firms, to
promote Philippines as a premier business destination in the Asia
region.
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Asia
CEO Awards
Asia
CEO Awards presented by Aseana City represents the
grandest alliance of local and international business people ever
created to promote Philippines on the world stage. As one of the
largest events of its kind in the Asia Pacific region, it is
considered a must-attend occasion for business leaders active in
Southeast Asia.
The star-studded Board of Judges of Asia CEO Awards give
away 10 awards to many of the most accomplished leadership teams
and individuals currently operating in Philippines and the region.
The awards recognize extraordinary leaders who have demonstrated
outstanding achievement for their organizations and contributions
to others.
As one of the fastest growing nations on the planet, the world's
business leaders have their eyes on Philippines like never before.
The annual gala was established as a natural outgrowth of Asia
CEO Forum, the largest regular networking event for the
business community in Philippines.
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SPECIAL DOWNLOADS:
Media organizations
throughout the world call upon the Principals of Chalre Associates for thought leadership.
Below are some examples of published material written by our
consultants or international journalists who refer to them. For a complete list of published work,
Click Here.
Getting Ready For The
Deluge: Outsourcing in Philippines
by
Chalre Associates senior staff
Download
[PDF
file, 62KB]
The
Economist Intelligence Unit of the Economist magazine
asked Chalre Associates' Chairman, Richard Mills,
to write a chapter about the Philippine outsourcing sector
in its annual Business Guide Book. The material
provides a Executive Briefing on the progress and major
issues facing this industry that is certainly one of most
significant growth stories in the world.
more
Asia Pacific Mining
Conference 2007 - Report
by
Chalre Associates senior staff
Download
[PDF
file, 28KB]
The 7th Asia Pacific Mining Conference put on by the Asean
Federation of Mining Associations was perhaps the largest
such event in the region. Richard Mills, Chairman of Chalre Associates
gave this report on what was said by the prominent mining
people who presented.
more
The
State of BPO in Philippines: Dan Reyes Speaks
by
Chalre Associates senior staff
Download
[PDF
file, 31KB]
Richard
Mills, Chairman of Chalre Associates,
interviewed Dan Reyes of Sitel for ComputerWorld (US) recently to get
his views on the state of the BPO industry in Philippines. Dan
presented US readers with compelling information to support his view
that Philippines is currently seen as the "Number 1" option by global
companies sending BPO work to offshore destinations.
Dan Reyes is easily one of most experienced Business Process
Outsourcing (BPO) managers in the Asia Pacific region and the world. He
is head of the extremely successful Philippine operations of Sitel, the
world's largest call center organization. Among other things, he is a
founder and former president of the Business Processing Association of
the Philippines. more