— New course announcement —

Organizational Sciences Program

Organizational Learning and Skilled Global Workers
ORSC 297-10

We live in an era of globalization. We also live in a knowledge era. These two environmental realities have been the engine for the global movement of talented and skilled professionals. Organizational innovation and competitiveness increasingly depends on the ability to attract, utilize, and develop such talent. This course explores the experiences of two types of skilled global workers: immigrants and expatriates working in the for-profit, non-profit, and public sectors. While there are important differences between these two types of global workers they face very similar issues in their adjustment to work settings in a new culture. Each type of global worker faces issues related to entry and incorporation into the culture and workforce, each faces issues related to effectiveness in the organization, and each can face the prospect of return migration and re-incorporation into the home country culture and workforce. For some immigrant and expatriate global workers the cycle of migration and return can be continuous. This course explores the challenges that these two types of workers face in these stages of work adjustment in a new culture. It also examines the factors that facilitate or inhibit successful work adjustment.

For More Information Contact: Dr. Gelaye Debebe, gdebebe@gwu.edu