An Expatriate's Nightmare: An Experiential Exercise in Coping with Overseas Assignments

Abstract

What happens when international experts are sent to a foreign country to train local workers? How can experts successfully complete their task given the unusual and confusing customs of the workers? This experiential exercise is designed to provide participants with an opportunity to practice coping with cultural differences in a manufacturing training scenario. This exercise has been successfully conducted in graduate and undergraduate classes in international management.