Since IHRM is so complex and vast a subject, this Toolkit could easily run to thousands of pages. Also, since this is a Toolkit, rather than a textbook, we have tried to use a variety of different tools, to appeal to different types of audiences and participants.
We could have used many more examples and cases studies, but are conscious that these can date quickly. So we have restricted ourselves to those examples which illustrate best practice and help you to construct the most relevant, practical and useful policies and practices.
In many cases, we refer you to other sources of information for greater in-depth reading if you need to gather more data and examples of what ‘best practice’ organisations are doing.
Finally, in order for you to understand the background to our conclusions or recommended tools we have included some of the IHRM theory.
Not all readers will warm to the theoretical data but it is there to help explain the rationale for some tools.
The tools do, however, stand alone and can be used without a need to refer to the theory.
In some cases there are multiple theories but we have selected one or two examples
which we feel best help to support particular ways of doing things.
A rapidly globalising world In these days of increasing globalisation and easier mobility and communications between countries, workers are as likely to be located in Beijing, or Chennai,
as they are in the UK. Think about making a phone call to enquire about a banking product,
going online to ‘chat’ to an expert about a problem you have with your computer,
or trading on eBay, to name a few common scenarios. ‘International HR management’1
refers to an extension of HR that relates to having people working overseas.
These can be either expatriate staff, those who are recruited from or work within their own home countries (locally recruited staff), or even thirdcountry nationals (individuals from neither the ‘parent’ nor ‘home’ country, but rather a third country.
The kinds of organisations in which this is the case can range from those with a small office or subsidiary based abroad, to major multinational corporations, international public-sector organisations, or international NGOs (charities) with sites all over the world.
It can also encompass an organisation working in a joint partnership with another organisation overseas. Alternatively it could be a homebased organisation with overseas offices or a company with selected departments which are offshore.