Competitive Advantages Of Tung's Model

1. A competitive advantage for the company

International competition leads to the need of intercultural training. In fact, the companies have to be more and more aware that their expatriate are going to be in relation with clients, subordinates, suppliers indeed they need to be well prepared to be efficient rapidly (Brewest, 1990 quote by Storey, 1992). With this aim, the multinationals have to enhance the training of their employees in order to give them a competitive advantage compare to their competitors (Humes, 1993).

2. Filling the existing gaps of the candidates

Moreover, it cannot be expected that the candidate fill all the criteria necessary to his adaptation since the beginning. It seems then important that once the candidate has

The level of difficulty varies in accordance to the level of difference. Indeed, the expatriate will need an intense training if we will have to adapt to a culture strongly different from its own (Mendenhall, Punnett and Picks, 1995). In order to help the Human Resources to define those different levels, some authors have developed some tools, such as Tung.

Tung’s model

Tung’s model is a system that helps defining the nature and the level of intensity of the training needed. This model is based on two variables: the degree of interaction with the local and the degree of newness of the local culture. Tungs states that if both the degree of interaction expected between the expatriate and the local population and the degree of cultural difference are weak, then the training should focus more on the project to carry out abroad than the host culture. Indeed, the training wouldn’t have to be intense (Tung quoted by Dowling, Schuler and Welch, 1994).

(Tung quoted by Dowling, Schuler and Welch, 1994) propose five training categories based on the learning, the type of project, the host country, and the team available.

The five categories are the