The article is about the way expatriates in the hospitality industry handle their overseas assignments. Hospitality is one of the most rapidly growing industries across the globe. It functions like a global enterprise, which welcomes workers of all nationalities and cultures. Hospitality organizations increasingly rely on expatriate executives who assume diverse roles to maintain organizational operations and customer relations in host countries.
Before reading this article, I sometimes wondered why hospitality organizations were so enthusiastic hiring expatriate managers and executives, as skilled professionals in host countries were struggling to find a decent job. I often felt that it was a form of discrimination, or a policy adopted across the hospitality industry. This article holds the answer. On the one hand, expatriate executives bring a global mindset, which improves the quality of organizational operations in hospitality organizations (Causin & Ngwenya, 2015). In fact, organizations in this industry are increasingly multicultural and diverse. On the other hand, expatriates often have better knowledge and skills than host-country employees; this is particularly the case of developing countries with underdeveloped markets for education and labor (Causin & Ngwenya, 2015). After reading this article, I see that expatriate managers present a deliberate choice in hospitality organizations. Because they carry both the national and corporate culture, expatriates are uniquely positioned to manage organizations’ diverse workforce.
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Like the authors of this article, I want to understand what skills and competencies overseas executives should have to be effective and competent in the hospitality industry. I take a perspective of a hospitality manager. I also use a business owner’s perspective. I want to know how factors like national culture can change the way expatriate managers handle their overseas assignments. I am sure that this learning can be applicable in any other industry beyond hospitality.
One thing that was new to me or, rather, that I did not consider, was the extent to which expatriate workers were ready to assume responsibility for an overseas assignment. The authors of this article make a few good points. For example, they note that nonimmigrant managers in U.S.-headquartered hospitality organizations rarely know a second language (Causin & Ngwenya, 2015). For this reason alone, they may have difficulties aligning their priorities with those of the host culture, even though English is widely considered as a language of global communication.
This information has led me to rethink my understanding of overseas assignments and the role of expatriate managers in the hospitality industry. The authors offer recommendations to help expatriate executives achieve better results in overseas projects (Causin & Ngwenya, 2015). These recommendations send a proactive message to expatriate managers and employees – they can and should be ready to navigate through the increasingly diverse, globalized hospitality industry. They should advance their training, update their skills, and seek engagement in overseas projects to be ready to undertake serious assignments.
Here I think of the importance of continuous education and learning, in any industry. This information makes me think about the continuous development opportunities that are available to expatriate managers in hospitality organizations. It is like a two-way street – managers engage in self-development activities, whereas organizations make an effort to enrich these self-development opportunities. At the end, I conclude that successful expatriate assignments in the hospitality industry are always a matter of a collaborative effort, which involves expatriates, human resource managers, organizations, and even higher education institutions.
I like the fact that the authors take a holistic approach when they evaluate the challenges facing expatriate executives in overseas assignments. The authors include recommendations for all parties involved in the process, from hospitality organizations to higher education systems (Causin & Ngwenya, 2015). I also try to maintain a holistic worldview and a global mindset. My response is guided by a personal understanding of the multiple forces, which affect the professional, career, and personal aspirations of expatriate workers in the hospitality industry.
- Causin, G.F., & Ngwenya, C.G. (2015). The influence of national culture and
organizational culture on the success of an expatriate overseas assignment. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-8606-9.ch006.
