Cross-Cultural Training Gaps: Building Cross-Cultural Competence

Issues of culture shock and cultural insensitivity are major problems for multinational corporations (MNCs) and the U.S Military. This book endeavors to provide an understanding of the cultural issues that expatriates and U.S service members face when assigned to the Republic of Korea. It outlines the level of cross-cultural training that each U.S service member receives during their initial in-country training has a direct correlation to many of the issues that they face during their tour on the peninsula. The interviews conducted on current U.S service members assigned to the Republic of Korea provided relevant information as to the current and suggested cross-cultural training needed to ensure that many of the cultural issues faced during their assignment are diminished. In addition, the relevance of this book also provides the framework that can be used by MNCs as well. As MNCs send expatriates to assignments all over the world, they have issues of early return of employees, lack of performance, and culture shock. By incorporating many of the suggested recommendations related to cross-cultural training, many of the issues that MNCs face will be alleviated as well.