Havard Business Review Case

Question 1

Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions is an approach applied in understanding variations in cultures across different countries and determine how business operations are conducted across separate cultures. The cultural differences between Brazil and Belgium using the six dimensions of Hofstede are discussed below.

Power distance: the score of 69 shows that the society of Brazil believes that people should respect hierarchy, and accept inequalities amongst people. The variation in power distribution shows the disparity between the less powerful and the power holders. The elderly should be respected. On the other hand, Belgium has a score of 65. Meaning that the society of Belgium accepts inequalities, and power is centralized.

Individualism: Brazil has a score of 38. It shows that since birth, people are integrated into strong and cohesive groups which protect the members. Belgium has a high score of 75. It shows that the people here favour private and individual views. They take care of themselves and their close relatives instead of being in a group.

Masculinity: the score for Brazil is 49. It is an intermediate score for this dimension. A high score depicts that the society is driven by success, competition and achievement. A low score shows that quality of life and caring for others are the dominant values in society. Belgium also reflects an intermediate score of 54.

Uncertainty Avoidance: with a score of 76, the structure of life in Brazil requires a strong need for an elaborate legal system and rules. Belgium has the highest score of 94. This is explained by the history of Belgium being ruled by other countries. They often gain certainty through academic work.

Long Term Orientation: Brazil has an intermediate score of 44. On the contrary, Belgium has a very high score of 82. This shows that the country has a distinctly pragmatic culture. They believe that truth is based on context, time and situation.

Indulgence: Brazil has a score of 59. It means that the country has a high tolerance. The people are always willing to recognize their desires and impulses with regards to having fun and enjoying life.  On the other hand, Belgium has a score of 57, almost similar to that of Brazil. Thus, Belgium is also an indulgent culture.

Question 2

            Yes, Anton should bend the rules to accommodate Ana and make her comfortable in the assignment in Belgium. Failure of Anton to bend the rules, Ana might quit from working in the company. Because the regulations enacted by Anton are not very explicit, it infers that Ana is a precious asset for the Streuvels Company. Therefore, the rules should be a bed to protect Ana from leaving the job. Moreover, the achievements of Ana in the company is crucial as it helps in nurturing the future management of the organization. Hence, an outward conflict exists between the objectives of worldwide rotation, and the procedures and regulations underlying the operations of the company.

The position of Anton is rather unsettling. On one side, his job description does not allow him to take special requests from employees, and on the other hand, the special request at his hand is from a highly valuable employee. However, he should consider raising Ana’s salary. This is because she is very strained, as her husband cannot get job opportunities in Belgium. Therefore, she is unable to cater to the needs of her two sons. Giving her more salary seems the only possible way to motivate her in the job. The company needs her skilled and labour to aid in expansion. Anton should do her best to maintain her as she can quickly go back to her old boss in Brazil. As the case study suggests, Ana is an employee on high demand in many countries. Her expertise and working capability are essential for the development of the company. The only motive keeping her in Belgium is to take care of her family.

Question 3

Relocation of families and spouses has a crucial role in influencing the well-being and decision making of expat workers. The key driver to effectively managing worldwide mobility is addressing their integration in an overseas country. An unhappy spouse is not just a cause for the failure of a foreign assignment or international placement. It has also become a significant source of concern for upcoming employees to accept offers of employment in foreign countries.

What I think Ana should do is to ask for an expat package. The contents of this package include accommodation, maid service, and education cover for children, car and driver, hardship allowances, healthcare cover, flights to and from home country among other necessities. Although Ana’s husband doesn’t have a stable job in Belgium, the expat care package will be of great importance as it will cater to some of their financial needs in the family. Since there are specific requirements for relocating spouses, the employers should implement all-inclusive relocation initiatives to help in their settlement in abroad countries and to prevent the failure of international placement and foreign assignment.

Regardless of our positive intentions, relocations may not work the way we expect and hope. For some reasons, the exploration may become a problem and put the expats in a challenging situation. At times, expats fight through this battle and make it work. However, the toll is, at times, very high. Hence, some expats end up quitting their jobs abroad and returning home earlier. Many people today consider this as expat failure, and it is currently a dominant phenomenon among businesses and expats.