the role of International Human Resource Management in the internationalization process of Companies: a Case Study
Key Learning Outcomes
By the end of the case, students should be able to:
- Understand what is meant by International Human Resource Management (IHRM), the various methods, and how it impacts the growth and development of international organizations.
- Understand the role IHRM plays in companies that are internationalizing their businesses.
- Understand the link between International Human Resource Management and competitive advantage in the internationalization process.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
What is meant by International Human Resource Management? IHRM refers to all the Human Resource practices and activities involved in the management of a global workforce. In essence, international human resource management is mandated to ensure that an organization gains success in its global ventures. IHRM is concerned with four major activities namely; recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation, and repatriation of expatriates.
What are the main approaches to international human resource management? Common methods include; Ethnocentricism, Polycentricism, and the Geocentric Approach. These approaches help to describe how organizations manage their human resources and global subsidiaries (Michailova et 2017).
The Ethnocentric Approach is where an organization’s strategic decisions and management practices are made by the parent organization and later transferred to the subsidiaries.
The Polycentric Approach is one where local managers are given the freedom to come up with their own management practices that they consider appropriate for the subsidiary.
The Geocentric Approach is where an organization is bound to develop a global-implemented Human resource management strategy.
What is the internationalization process? It is the process through which a company decides to branch out to foreign markets in order to increase its market share. Among the reasons why companies opt for this process is to achieve organizational growth through attaining a foreign customer base, improve profitability, and increase competitiveness through a global presence that boosts the boosts company’s reputation among others which will be discussed in detail.
What is the role of international human resource management in companies globalizing/internationalizing their businesses? IHRM usually deals with the recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training, and developing of employees that are needed by businesses to achieve their set business goals and objectives. They also create policies and procedures that ensure a reasonable, safe, and productive workplace.