Global Mobility Pyramid

Global Mobility Introduction Globalization is an essential part of business. Global markets, customers, and talent pools are fundamental to the growth plans of many, perhaps most, companies. Regardless of whether they operate in mature or rapidly developing markets, companies today have a critical need for speed and efficiency to move dozens, hundreds, or often thousands of professionals, technical specialists, managers, and executives around the world, far from their home offices.To prepare for and respond to opportunities in global production, research and development, and innovation, as well as to optimize customer sales, service, and growth, companies need the ability to get the right people to the right places at the right cost – quickly and efficiently. Companies also face an ever-increasing need to attract, develop, deploy, and retain employees and leaders who know how to think and operate globally. Global workforce and global mobility has become more important than eve r to companies. Global mobility and workforce strategyAn effective global mobility management requires a formal strategy that focuses on a company’s long-term global talent needs instead of simply reacting to individual opportunities as they arise. A company’s global mobility and workforce strategy should be integrated with its business strategy, talent strategy, and workforce planning efforts. It should include both short- and long-term assignments while balancing the business’ need for speci? c technical skills with its talent development needs for a more globally prepared workforce.The global mobility function should use its specialized knowledge and capabilities to help shape the mobility strategy and govern related investments and execution. An effective Global mobility program should address the following issues: 1. Global employee rewards Expatriate rewards should address the barriers to global mobility, and align with the actual value of each assignment. They should highlight career development and personal growth along with compensation and bene? ts.As far as is practical, expatriate rewards programs should be integrated with â€Å"regular† rewards programs and generally administered by HR as part of its ongoing operations. This would free up the global mobility function to use its specialized capabilities to help design expatriate rewards programs and customize rewards for a portfolio of international moves and situations. 2. Global mobility service delivery An effective global mobility program should be able to support businesses and assignees with high-quality service that is cost-effective and consistent.Integrating global mobility service delivery with a company’s broader HR processes and infrastructure – particularly in areas such as basic HR support and talent management – can reduce costs and produce greater business value. Given the scale and increasingly central role of global mobility as well as global HR and talent, the time has come to integrate global mobility with global HR and to leverage a global HR services platform where practical. Meanwhile, the global mobility function can use its specialized knowledge to provide business leaders and managers with focused advice on mobility strategies and key assignments. . Technology As global work and global mobility become a more common part of the workforce’s experience, HR information systems (HRISs) should incorporate support for these programs and activities as well as integrate global mobility and assignee data into the company’s general HR databases. Companies should be careful when creating specialized global mobility applications that are not integrated into the HR and talent work? ow and require signi? cant resources to operate and maintain. The global mobility function has historically been responsible for managing and administering every detail of an international assignment.But as global mobility b ecomes a standard business practice, this all-encompassing, stand-alone approach may not work. The good news is that widespread adoption of globally integrated HR service delivery models and technology has created an opportunity for the global mobility function to shift many of its routine administrative responsibilities to HR and talent operations. This will enable the global mobility function to focus on deploying global talent more strategically, helping the company make smarter moves.Most organizations segment international assignments based on duration: short-term, long-term, and permanent. BAI has three types of assignments; Long Term, Short Term and Commuter assignments. – A Long Term assignment is for a minimum of 12 months but no more than four years, on an accompanied basis – A Short Term assignment is for a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 12 months, on a single unaccompanied basis. – A commuter assignment is for a minimum of 3 months to a maximum of four years, on an unaccompanied basis. Commuters live in one country but work primarily in anotherDeloitte design a framework, called Smart Moves, to categorize international assignment based on two key dimensions: business value and development value (See figure 1 below). This multi-dimensional can help companies in ensuring that the level of support it gives to an assignees is justified based on the expected business value of their assignment that is also categorised ad ‘Learning experience’, meaning that the assignee is expected to bear some of the costs associated with the move in exchange for valuable global experience and personal growth.In addition, the framework also identify ways to use global mobility to develop the next generation of leaders, thus helping the organization meet both its current and future talent needs. Companies have long used global mobility programs to move employees around the world, but never to the extent that is required today. For m any organizations, growth and even survival hinges on penetrating rapidly growing and emerging markets unlocked by globalization. That’s a tough challenge, especially when the critical opportunities and critical talent re often not in the same country. To a large extent, future success for many companies will depend on how well they can connect their talent with their most pro? table and strategically important business opportunities, wherever they may be. To this end, the global mobility function is now being asked to do more than simply ? ll international positions. Companies are starting to view global mobility programs as a way to pursue key talent development goals.For example, organizations are sending promising leadership candidates abroad so they can develop the global experience and perspective necessary to lead in a global economy. In addition, employees themselves – especially those in the younger generations – increasingly expect employers to offer t hem opportunities to work outside their home country. To be effective, a company must ? nd ways to provide the kinds of international opportunities that harness its employees’ enthusiasm, enhance their engagement, build their skills, and deliver long-term business valueTo manage global mobility effectively, companies must master and integrate four essential building blocks: strategy, rewards, service delivery, and technology (Figure 2) [pic] (Fig2. Essential Building Blocks) Global mobility and workforce strategy Effective global mobility requires a formal strategy that focuses on a company’s long-term business needs and global talent priorities rather than simply reacting to individual opportunities as they arise. Global employee rewardsGlobal employee rewards should align with the value of each assignment, meet the needs of assignees, and help break down barriers to global mobility with programs that reflect the value of the many different possible types of assignmen ts. Also, they should focus on career development and personal growth, not just compensation and benefits for the duration of the assignment. An effective Global employee rewards should: ? Differentiate employee compensation, benefits, and support packages according to the value of each assignment type. Promote the value of learning and career development, not just compensation and benefits ? Harmonize rewards programs to reduce mobility barriers ? Apply innovative approaches to participants in state-sponsored and private benefits programs. ? Share the cost of global assignments and mobility between employees and employers Global mobility service delivery An effective global mobility program should be able to support the business and assignees with high-quality service that is cost-effective, consistent, and easy to use, manage, and administer.Technology Using technology effectively to support global moves can help reduce costs while improving service quality and compliance. It also enables business leaders to make better, more informed mobility decisions. International assignment Lifecycle Achieving the highest development value of an international assignment doesn’t happen automatically. It requires a deliberate and conscious effort to tailor a company’s talent management programs, strategies, and practices to the different needs of each participant.The key to achieving expected results is taking a holistic approach that spans the entire assignment lifecycle (Figure 3). The starting point is to help employees develop a clear career path. This should happen well in advance of any foreign assignment. [pic] (Fig. 3 Assignment lifecycle) Once an appropriate assignment has been found, the company must help the employee understand the objectives of the assignment and develop a strong support system if they don’t already have one in place.That means helping the employee create new connections in the host organization, while maintaining strong c onnections back home; providing customized mentoring services to help the employee be effective while on assignment; making sure the employee’s family is comfortable in the new environment; and, as the end of the assignment draws near, helping the employee find an appropriate position that takes advantage of newly acquired skills and experience.Conclusion In today’s increasingly global marketplace, companies can’t afford to treat global mobility as a niche activity that requires special handling. They need to develop standard global mobility capabilities that are fast, cost-efficient, effective, and repeatable. They also need to use international assignments as a way to develop their next generation of leaders. The traditional one-size-fits-all approach to global mobility is no longer good enough.Global businesses need a full range of options to address a variety of situations, from strategic assignments to commodity jobs – and everything in between. An e ffective global mobility program must offer services and options that fi t the needs of the business and its employees, delivering high value at a low cost. At the same time, it must address critical issues such as regulatory compliance and tax, which can prevent a business from using global mobility to its advantage.Going forward, global business will be the primary source of growth for many companies. Organizations will source talent from all over the world. And international assignments will be business as usual. To achieve desired results in this new environment, companies will need to dramatically improve their global mobility capabilities. Reference 1. Global Mobility by Deloitte. Available on http://www. deloitte. com/assets/Dcom-UnitedStates/Local%20Assets/Documents/IMOs/Talent/us_talent_SmarterMoves_062410. pdf. Accessed on 11/03/2013.