12.1.11: Putting It Together: Global Human Resources

Let’s revisit LMN Hotels from the beginning of this module. After nine months of thoughtful recruiting, remodeling, and training, LMN Hotels has successfully opened the doors of their hotel chain expansion in Germany. Thanks to the innovative strategies implemented by LMN’s HR Team, they were able to expand their company and create a new, dispersed, global business.

LMN’s HR Team capitalized on the new talent pool and expanded their talent search into other European countries, looking for candidates who were bilingual in German and English. They were also able to conduct interviews through online platforms and utilize a combination of electronic training materials and on-the-job training to ensure the company’s brand was relayed to and exemplified by employees. The HR Team carefully selected leadership candidates to oversee the remodel and grand openings of each hotel in Germany. These leaders were selected from the current LMN Hotels management team, to ensure each new hotel had someone with lots of experience and a true understanding of LMN’s values and brand. LMN’s HR Team will continue to focus on effective international communication strategies and fostering an inclusive international culture.

Expanding internationally is becoming the norm for a large number of companies. Human resource managers play a large role in day-to-day operations in domestic companies. From hiring, to training, to legal concerns, to employee morale and engagement, HR has a lot on their plates. Expanding internationally adds to their already full plate and provides additional challenges like language barriers, social distance, and cultural and legal differences. Understanding the opportunities and challenges the global business environment presents to the human resource team is the first step in successful implementation of international expansion.