Developing the Global Competence of International Assignees: A Business Necessity
Many corporate cultures are rooted in the original founders, a country culture or the imposing personality of the current CEO. The origin of FrieslandCampina’s corporate culture could not be more different.
As one of the world’s largest cooperatives, FrieslandCampina is responsible for the livelihoods of more than 19,000 dairy farmers across the globe. This responsibility has helped shape not only its corporate culture and the way the organization does business but also its mission statement: Nourishing by Nature.
FrieslandCampina is very much a large family where farmers, employees and suppliers work together in an environment of mutual trust with one goal – to provide the best possible products and services to its customers around the world.
As with any global business operating in more than 32 different countries, FrieslandCampina faced numerous challenges.
One key challenge was how to prepare and support its growing international assignee population to live and work in a wide variety of countries.
The company recognized the need to develop the global competence of its employees to ensure that they could be as competent working in Vietnam as they were in the Netherlands. Equally, accompanying family members – so critical to the success or failure of any international assignment – could not be overlooked.
FrieslandCampina
Global Support for International Assignees
As an organization that treats its employees as family members, choosing an intercultural training provider who held the same values was critical for the FrieslandCampina Global Mobility team. Outsourcing an essential part of the international assignee preparation would see FrieslandCampina placing its trust and people in the hands of a third party.
The Global Mobility team carried out a rigorous RFP process that involved multiple submissions and interviews. Learnlight was delighted to have been chosen as FrieslandCampina’s partner to design and deliver a comprehensive suite of support interventions for its international assignee populations: short term, long term and commuters.