Assignment Services
Programs for Expatriates and Their Families Moving to/from Australia
Cultural Acumen provides interactive, in-depth, high-quality cross-cultural training programs and related services for the full relocation cycle. Whether you are moving expatriates to or from Australia, we offer the following services a different levels of intensity, depending on the needs of employees and family members, to make this transition successful:
Assessing Cultural Adaptability
Using the Tucker Assessment Profile (TAP), employees and their partners learn how their own attitudes and certain attributes could affect their adjustment and performance in an international assignment. The Self-Development Guide aids in the interpretation of their individual Profiles and provides suggestions in areas in which improvement is desirable. TAP results also provide input to training program design.
Thinking It Through Consultation
For prospective international assignees, this is an opportunity to examine the benefits and challenges of an international assignment in a four-hour session with a culture coach who has personal experience of an international assignment.
Living and Working in a New Country/Culture
Country experts drawn from a growing pool of over 200 resource people join with a full-time facilitator to provide individual, country-specific, one- to three-day, pre-departure programs for employees and their families on any destination in the world. Resource people are matched to client needs to develop realistic expectations in four areas:
1. Practical advice on everyday life issues
2. The historical and political context
3. The role of culture in business and social interactions
4. Skills for successful adaptation to life and work in a new country
See a sample Living and Working in a New Country/Culture agenda.
Living and Working in Australia
Program goals:
- Ease the transition to life in Australia for the employee and family
- Identify the information, attitudes and skills necessary to facilitate a smoother adjustment process
- Encourage better job performance for the employee from the start
- Provide a practical orientation to the new city and culture to ease the transition to life in Australia for the employee and family
See a sample Living and Working in Australia agenda.
ESL Speech and Voice Enhancement
Whatever the difficulty, training in speech and voice enhancement by Alison Kimble of ClearSpeak, in combination with a Cultural Acumen CultureCoaches™ program, can dramatically improve the way in which others respond to speakers of English as a second language. It also will enhance cross-cultural interaction in business and social situations and significantly increase the trainee’s confidence in speaking with business associates.
Ongoing Assignment Support for International Success (OASIS)
In addition to the solid foundation that Cultural Acumen provides in our cultural training programs, we can continue this support on an ongoing basis, providing access to Cultural Acumen trainers and country experts for your expatriates.
A one-year OASIS subscription includes:
- Unlimited access to Cultural Acumen Consultants for cultural and adjustment issues, advice and assistance
- Up to 2 hours of country expert contact in response to specific issues
- Three contacts from their Cultural Acumen Trainer at key stages in the adjustment cycle-3, 6 and 9 months-to reinforce strategies learned for successful adjustment
- Birthday cards for spouses and children
“000” Service
As a “help desk,” addresses the need for confidential assistance for expatriates facing difficulties in settling into their new environments. Also available for critical incident stress debriefing to minimise the long-term, adverse impact of a traumatic event while overseas, examine issues of readjustment and to explore ways of dealing with them.
Repatriation Debriefing Program
Program goals:
- Examine issues of readjustment and to explore ways of dealing with them.
- Identify personal and professional changes that have occurred during their international assignment
- Anticipate and make provisions for the impact of these changes during their readjustment period
- Develop constructive plans for adjusting and becoming more effective at work
See a sample Repatriation Debriefing Program agenda.
