Human Resources plays a central role in orchestrating diversity within companies that operate across borders and where international teams are the norm. Yet working with cultural complexities and divergent expectations on a daily basis is a major challenge, as is maintaining cohesion within dispersed teams. This is where international coaching comes into its own as a strategic tool.
Far from being a simple one-off solution, coaching helps to anticipate and resolve problems linked to cultural differences, while developing the potential of managers and leaders. In this article, I explore how coaching can meet the specific needs of international HR, boost team commitment and promote sustainable effectiveness in a globalised environment.
Contents
- International HR issues and challenges
- 4 reasons why international coaching is a strategic tool for HR
- Why is international coaching still underused?
International HR issues and challenges
International Human Resources issues
International companies face unique challenges. HR managers have a central role to play in the success of these challenges. the internationalisation of their businessWhether it's a question of increasing it or sustaining it. HR is key at several stages:
- A good understanding of the company's local issues upstream, before implementing the action plan
- Checking that head office is aligned with local managers, particularly on how to work together
- Identifying and taking account of cultural differences to update the corporate culture based on a common set of values (and limit crisis management)
- Understanding the level of complexity of the business, in order to find the right level of delegation and reporting
- Assessing the skills of employees in positions of responsibility, and recruiting where necessary to fill any skills gaps
- Finally, harmonising key processes, sharing and adopting best practices
The challenges of internationalisation for HR
In this context, Human Resources must understand, anticipate and find solutions to meet the challenges of globalisation (also known as international human resources management or IHRM). Here are a few concrete examples I've come across over the years:
- Culture shock is one of the most obvious problems associated with the multicultural management. A French expatriate manager in Japan may find it difficult to understand the implicit codes of communication. This can lead to tension and even conflict.
- Associated with culture shock are differences in professional values. A Franco-American team may differ on the approach to adopt between innovation and respect for procedures.
- Collaboration within dispersed teams is also a major challenge, because working effectively with colleagues in several time zones requires empathy and precise communication.
- As far as the recruitment process is concerned, international HR departments working in France need to identify and recruit candidates who are ready to adapt to French standards and values or those of their future expatriate country, using recruitment tests among other means. And, of course, devise attractive remuneration and benefits packages to win them over. When it comes to expatriation, HR managers particularly need to check that the move is a life or family project, and not just a professional one.
- There are other points to bear in mind, such as assessing the applicant's intercultural skills and whether or not the spouse can work abroad.
- On the administrative and legal side, international HR staff in France who take on foreign employees have to deal with complex obligations such as obtaining visas, complying with French labour law and the specific expectations of labour inspectorates. They need to be familiar with the main principles of international mobilityThese include the difference between secondment and legal or social expatriation, tax residence criteria, the principles of territoriality, subordination and employee security.
- And, of course, there are all the challenges of integrating foreign employees, helping them to understand systems such as social security and tax, or finding the right schools for their children... And then there are the challenges of returning home, particularly for French employees returning to France after a period abroad.
There are very few marked international routes
More often than not, HR offers à la carte solutions, which take into account the expectations of employees according to their career plans, and the opportunities available at any given time within the company. This is why a Human Resources Director, for example, needs to offer everyone solutions tailored to the complex realities of French teams working abroad and foreign employees coming to work in France. Over and above the cultural aspects, it's a question of taking into account a mix of several subjects regulated by each country: immigration, employment, social protection and taxation. In addition, there are other unregulated issues such as family support.
To achieve this, these companies often call on external experts to help them draw up an appropriate international mobility policy, with a relevant evaluation of the international mobility policy. International coaching and the posture of professional coach meet this need by helping managers and directors to work with these differences. Because it is a bridge between the local and the global, it is not an option but a strategic investment.
4 reasons why international coaching is a strategic tool for HR
Integration without action is an illusion: international coaching works where words fail. Here are 4 reasons why.
1. Supporting HRDs in their strategic role
Faced with the human challenges of globalisation, HR departments can feel alone when it comes to devising a support strategy for multi-country and multi-site teams. Concretely, the needs of HR departments can be of different kinds:
- Strengthening their strategic position. French HR directors working at L'Oréal or Michelin often find themselves juggling between global directives and local practices. They need help to strike a balance between strategic alignment and operational flexibility.
- Decoding the overall cultural expectations of the teams within their scope. For example, understanding the differences in expectations between a head office based in the United States and the French subsidiary can be complex, as can understanding the levers of involvement and commitment of international teams. How can you find the keys to decoding these subtleties and improving communication with the various entities?
- To encourage HR innovation, with a number of objectives in mind: to define the right levels of involvement for Board executives, to renew the raison d'être of an increasingly international Board, to make the managerial culture consistent according to the profiles of the executives in each subsidiary, to optimise the processes for retaining and developing talent, etc. In short, how can they innovate in their practices?
Internationalisation without support for senior posts has a hidden cost that is a silent drain on companies' competitiveness. Individual coaching can do more to help HR departments than professional training to create the right conditions for consolidating the strategy of global teams and implementing an HR policy that encourages the emergence of managers and executives who are open to an international culture.
2. Making international managers more effective
Professional coaching can help transform the international scope of managers and executives. To do this, it is essential to take into account the emotional and relational dimensions of coaching by capturing and integrating the state of mind and feelings of each individual into global strategy.
Here are two examples of targeted individual coaching interventions that not only help to develop the skills of managers and executives in line with their career plans, but also create a positive dynamic within their teams:
- Reinforce intercultural skills and limit intercultural conflicts by helping managers to decode cultural behaviours and adapt their leadership style accordingly in order to boost the individual performance of their team members.
- Promote a shared vision by helping a manager to develop strategies that unite teams around common objectives, despite differences.
3. Encouraging the commitment of international teams
Multicultural teams can quickly become cultural minefields. Intercultural coaching works on three key levers: improving communication to help employees resolve misunderstandings caused by linguistic or cultural differences; reducing staff turnover because employees who feel understood and supported in an international environment are less likely to want to leave their company; and finally, promoting inclusion by helping to build a climate of trust and mutual respect, which is essential for integrating diverse cultural profiles.
Using an global coach can facilitate the integration process by taking into account the varied aspirations of employees and the anxieties generated by working across borders and time zones, for example through group coaching.
4. Supporting expatriate talent
Expats often play a key role in international strategies. Yet adapting to their new environment remains a challenge. International coaching responds to this challenge at every stage of the expatriation process:
- Pre-departure support, to prepare expatriates for their new professional and cultural realities.
- Support during expatriation, to help overcome obstacles such as homesickness or cultural conflicts at work.
- Preparing them for their return and making the most of their expatriation, to facilitate this transition and increase the impact of their experience within the company.
These individual coaching solutions make it possible to capitalise on expatriate talent and strengthen their contribution to the company's strategy, in particular through role-playing, relevant open-ended questions and work on action plans. But retaining expatriates requires a coaching system that has been thought out in advance!
Why is international coaching still underused?
Every unresolved cultural misunderstanding costs the company more than you can imagine. Despite this reality and the many advantages of international coaching, this type of support is often hampered by a number of obstacles:
- This cost is perceived as too high by HR managers who are reluctant to invest in coaching programmes because of limited budgets or the priority given to other initiatives. Yet experience has long shown that the absence of coaching can be far more costly in the long term.
- A lack of awareness on the part of HR managers, who are unaware of the benefits of international coaching or don't know how to identify the right coaches for their company.
- Resistance to change in certain companies where traditional practices are still favoured (training, etc.), and coaching is perceived as a non-essential novelty in a career path.
- The inadequacy of the Franco-French coaching solutions on offer, which are poorly adapted to the specific needs of international teams and can lead to disappointing results, reinforcing mistrust of this approach.
The repercussions of internationalisation without adequate support from companies are well known and documented. Expatriation failures spring to mind. According to a study carried out by Allianz in 2022, almost 40 % of assignments abroad fail because of poor cultural preparation.
We're also thinking about internal tensions and managing unnecessary conflict within a company. multicultural team which reduce productivity and commitment. A study conducted by McKinsey in 2023 revealed that 60 % of managers identify cultural differences as a major obstacle to effectiveness.
Finally, there are the financial losses. A 2019 Gallup study showed that the cost of replacing an employee can range from 0.5 to 2 times the employee's annual salary. Indirect costs, such as the impact on productivity and morale, account for around two-thirds of the total cost.
In conclusion
Global coaching is not just a luxury, it's a strategic investment for global companies. It is a structured and proactive response to the complex challenges facing international HR. This strategic tool helps international companies to better adapt to the realities of an interconnected world, where cultural diversity can be a strength, but also a challenge if not managed effectively. It offers HR a way of supporting employees, managers and themselves in achieving their professional goals. By strengthening the skills of managers and leaders, and reducing cultural tensions within teams, HR has a tool to help create a sustainable competitive advantage and help transform their business towards a model of effective international collaboration.
