If I had been presented with a lucrative opportunity to work internationally in Vietnam after working in the U.S. in professional positions for several years, there would be a few things to consider and negotiate. After conducting research Vietnam has a few major cultural differences according to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. First, Vietnam has a very high long-term orientation (57), compared to the U.S. (27) that has a relatively short-term orientation. This means that they focus on the future and hold values in the present that will not necessarily provide immediate benefit, like savings and persistence (Swift, 2021). Despite living in the U.S. I believe that I would be able to overcome this difference due to my interest in sustainability, which is certainly a long-term subject. The second is power distance. Vietnam has an extremely large power distance (70) which is highly contrasted to the U.S. (40) (Hofstede Insights, 2021). This means that people in Vietnam seek to maintain large inequities in power and wealth and do not view people’s positions as equal. I think this would be difficult for me to adapt to because in the U.S. we are encouraged to challenge authority and view everyone as equally as possible. For me, this would take a lot of communication restructuring to understand what acceptable communication is between levels within a Vietnamese organization. Third is the difference between views on individualism. Vietnam (20) is more collectivist and people are expected to look after the interests of the large community, valuing family and loyalty (Hofstede Insights, 2021) (Swift, 2021). However, the U.S. is one of the highest-ranked cultures for individualism (91), meaning people are only supposed to look after themselves and their direct family. This is interesting to examine from a work perspective because this means that in Vietnam everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group and hiring, and promotion takes account of the employee’s in-group. As said in the article ‘Management is the management of groups’ (Hofstede Insights, 2021). Finally, I liked that Vietnam has a higher femininity score (40) than the U.S. (62) meaning they promote values such as putting relationships before money and helping others, and preserving the environment (Swift, 2021).
Based on what I learned from the lectures and my past International Business course there would be a few things I would negotiate with my boss. First, I would want them to pay for me to go back home to the US for two weeks a year. I think that this would not only help anxiety and missing family, but also the repatriation process. Having time to travel between the two locations would be helpful to understand the transition psychologically that everything will be okay when I was away, rather than just staying in one place for the entire three years and coming back to so many uncertainties. Second, I would want to join one or two associations of ex-pats in my new location. This would help to build connections and feel like part of a community in my new location and would translate to my work productivity. This was highlighted in the HBR article when it stated that the ex-pat and their family ‘compounded their difficulties by choosing not to live with other ex-pats in a community designed to meet their needs’ (2014). Third, I would want significant training and development including a language tutor and cultural education classes on the region. This would not only give me a broader skillset, but also tools to be better at my job and avoid mistakes and understand how things work locally. This was addressed in Tim Kings TedTalk, where he described that if you are not curious, open-minded, and try to learn about the culture that you will just think that those around you are ‘weird, rude or malicious.’ Even though it is usually just not that way, just misunderstandings and a fixed mindset (2017). I think that training with the immersion approach would be most impactful and help to reduce cultural barriers and to adopt curiosity (Peng, 2016). The most obvious would also be for the company to pay for moving my essential belongings over to the new site. Finally, regarding compensation, I would negotiate a “hardship” stipend on top of my regular salary. In some locations of Vietnam, I would also want them to provide enhanced security for my residence and maybe for my commute to and from work.
Citations-
Three Keys to Getting an Overseas Assignment Right. (2014, August 01). Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2009/10/three-keys-to-getting-an-overseas-assignment-right
Swift, Michele. Lectures 4 & 5, Week 10 International HRM (2021).
Vietnam – Hofstede Insights. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country/vietnam/
Peng, M. W. (2016). Global Business (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
TEDxTalks. (2017, February 08). Shrugging Your Way Through Expat Life | Tim King | TEDxWestFurongRoad. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcrJ2Xz1Ib8
