In a recent discussion on The View From The Top, mobility leaders Michael Piker, VP of Global Total Rewards at Shiseido, and Priscilla John, APAC Mobility Leader at HCLTech, shared valuable insights about managing expatriate assignments across Asia. Their combined experience offers a unique perspective on the challenges and success factors for international assignments in the region.
The "Easy" vs "Hard" Markets of Asia
Both leaders identified a clear distinction between what Piker termed "Asia Easy" (or "Asia Light") and "Asia Hard" markets. Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong fall into the former category, largely due to their English-speaking environment and openness to expatriates. In contrast, countries like China, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam present more significant challenges, primarily due to language barriers and cultural differences.
"When you hit Taiwan, Korea, Japan, China, it's a much harder slog," notes Piker, who has worked across multiple Asian locations. "Language culture, Maslow's hierarchy - there are so many different ways and distances to be successful in the harder locales of APAC."
The China Challenge
China emerged as particularly challenging for expatriate assignments. Priscilla John highlighted several complexities specific to China: "From a business perspective, each city has a different style. If I get a work permit for one city, I cannot go to another city and work." These operational restrictions, combined with language barriers and cultural differences, create significant hurdles for companies managing assignments there.
Cultural Integration: The Key to Success
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the importance of cultural integration. Priscilla emphasized that successful assignments depend heavily on the assignee's mindset: "When somebody needs to have a successful assignment, they need to blend along with the country and the culture and the people that they work with. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a successful assignment."
Mike Piker shared a particularly insightful example from his experience in Japan, explaining how even small cultural adjustments can make a significant difference: "When I'm in a meeting at Shiseido, I don't interject with my 'I' as an American. I try to collectively engage as 'we.' We collectively think this, and then I get closer to the community and they accept me more."
The Expatriate Bubble Dilemma
Both speakers addressed the common phenomenon of expatriate "bubbles" - self-contained communities of foreign workers who primarily interact with other expatriates. While these bubbles can provide comfort and familiarity, they agreed that the most successful long-term assignments tend to be those where expatriates make concerted efforts to integrate with local communities.
"The guys that do stay here for twenty, thirty years, from day one, they go local," Piker observed about successful assignments in Japan. "Literally, they land in Narita and they go local from day one."
Policy Considerations
The discussion revealed that mobility policies need to be flexible and culturally aware. Priscilla noted that while global mobility policies might have consistent core elements, benefit packages often need to be tailored to specific countries and cultures. This is particularly true for Japanese outbound assignments, which Piker described as requiring "a higher preponderance of support than I've seen in other nationality groupings."
Looking Ahead
As Asia continues to play a crucial role in global business, understanding these nuances becomes increasingly important for mobility professionals. Success in managing Asian assignments requires a delicate balance of practical support, cultural awareness, and encouraging integration while respecting local customs and practices.
The key takeaway? Whether managing assignments in "Asia Easy" or "Asia Hard" locations, success ultimately depends on thorough preparation, cultural sensitivity, and a willingness to adapt to local ways of working and living. As Priscilla succinctly put it, "If you want the assignment to be successful, you have to try and adapt to their culture."
You can access the complete discussion here.
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