COACHING CORPORATE NOMADS: CROSS-CULTURAL RELOCATION AND REENTRY

Abstract

People who move for work to and from different cultures for extended periods of time—for example, 2 to 6 years—are confronted by 4 specific challenges: (a) leaving their native cultures and entering their host cultures; (b) learning how to adapt and thrive in their host cultures; (c) leaving their host cultures and reentering their native cultures; and (d) learning how to reestablish themselves in their changed native cultures, after leaving positions with great autonomy, authority, and an affluent lifestyle. It is vital that coaches and consulting psychologists who counsel these people, whom I refer to as nomads, understand that decreases in their clients’ performance and confidence as well as increases in confusion, uncertainty, and stress are normal consequences of culture shock that they experience when traveling to host cultures and reentering their native cultures. Individual and team coaches, consulting psychologists, and trusted advisors can enhance the relevance and effectiveness of their services by helping their clients to recognize, cope with, and learn from these challenges.