WOlilCINC OVERSEAS

Working overseas a fascinating professional challenge This article dispcls some of the myths surrounding cmploymeiit as an expatriate enginecr in the developing world. Whilc tlzc article focuses primarily on gciicralities applicable to most assignments, elaboration by the author of his owii recent expcriciice as the cliicf executive of an independent powcr company in PaIristan illustratcs the type of situation senior expatriate engineers may facc on acceptancc of an overseas position.

by A. R. Midgley

rom Somalia to Siniih, dic applicntinn of good ~nmagcmciit principlcs togcthcr F with an ctltrcprcncurial and adventurous

spirit can provjtic a fascinating mix of chnlleiig- ing job opportwiitics for prolcssional cngiticcrs in the dcvcloping worlci.

Projcct inarragctnenr it1 thc ciiginccriiig field tias bccn practiscrl dlroughrrut thc world by sltillcd profcssionnls for thousands of years. 'I'he developmcnt o[ coii7pimics to I ~ d l c such activitics is a soincwliat more recc i i t phcnomciioi~ IIUC iicvcrthcless h x a p c d i g i ~ of ovci' 100 ycm. ' 1 ' 1 1 ~ ncccssary atcributcs and cxpcricncc 10 rnatlagc such coinpanics arc readily availablc throughout thc wnrlil, but clicre are inany indivicluals who could a.spirc to a senior rolc if thcy coulcl nverciiiiic thcir fcars and misgivings about living in s t r a n g or unfamiliar cnviromicius.

succcssfiilly [ransfcrrcd tl-icir skills be~wcen wry differclit scctni-s of cnginccring, thcrc rctriains xi unclcrlying fcnr o l the unknown i n dcploying cxpcricncc in ncw cultural circuinst:itices. Many cnginccrs' d e n t s and cxpcricucc could casily bc adaplcd for roles in arcas wliich seein I'CIIIOIC and unsiiitctl tn tlicir ahilitics.

Working o~crscas ns ii sctiior cxccutivc 011

cnnti;ict 1i;is inni1y nrtractinns to anyonc whosc prioritics arc iinrticd to a stablc cnviroiimcilt ol family, friciirls and local commiinity nctivii.ics. I hwcvcr, such preoccupations can soinclinics

~ l g , 1 Excavation of cooling towers piles

Managcincnt skills l'licrc is nftcri tho presuinp[ion tha t otic m u s t

liave spent a full cacccr in the relevant discipline in order to aspire to a sciiior cxecutivc role, but the ability M apply souiid and intcrnatioi~nlly rccrignisccl managcrizcnt principlcs is R inuch more iniportant rcquircincnt in much of the clcvcloping wnrld than slacc-of-tllc-art technical knnwltdgc wliich caii be acqiiircd horn the cquipmcnt supplici-s, 'I.'hcsc ~ n a ~ ~ a g c - nzciit principlcs c a n Lc Icamt ancl pr.actiscd in a vaaieiy of ways during cntccr r levelop~~~nt, cither in the public 01' private sector. Whilc here are tnany cxaiiiplcs 01 cngirmrs who havc

I:NGIN [,I<RlNG MANACIIMIIN'I' J n U K N ~ ~ L 0CTC)IIILR 1999 235

WORJUNG 0 VERSEAS

Flg. 2 Team bulldlng at slte hc used as a shicld to discollragc an approach, or bc sclf gcnciaiccl in ordcr to cotwincc oncself 111' thosc around that u n i ~ m ~ ~ ~ l e l y such a 1-olc, wliilc cxciting, is iriiprmiccal at the prcsetit timc. There arc gixvc ~nisconccptions, often gencrarcd by die media, tha t lifc in thc dcvcloping world is dirty, dangerous, drug- 1-iddcn arid dcprcssiiig, but this is a distorted and ill-conceivcd impression of large arcas of thc world whcrc tlw cinergcncc of Impc and a desire to acquire self-sustaining slrills arc thc dntninant factors.

Often i n the past such cxccllcnt quditics wcrc impractical due to tlic prcvalcncc of war nnd tiiscase, and hugc populations siirvivcd iliroiigli trailitioiml minimal is^ xtivicies in a coi istmt

colony flna, lnspectlon

struggle tn sustain thc hasic ncccssitics of Iifc. Whilc oiic caniiot ricny that tlicrc arc still parts of tlic world whcrc such circuimtaiiccs remain, most of ~ h c clcvcloping world has cincrgcd frrrm this situation and now has a n u r p t nucd to acquire a n d absorh mndcrn inanagctncnt techniqucs i n order to encourage the h o p and aspiratioris of a rapidly increasing profcs- sionally qualified popdatiori of wcll cducatcd, enthusiastic but incxpcricnccd young pcoplc.

It is thc prcdorriinancc of youth which i 111 mediately st r i kcs those fam i 1 iar w idi the developing wrrrld, and this pi~nvidcs vcry fcrtilc grnutd for cxpericnccd cxccutivcs to impart thcii. manageiiicnt sltills IC, good advantago. I<espcct for such skills, and recognition by thc indigenous population that they need this praccical liclp, is a n iiita tigible rcward for thc individual over and above any I-cmuncration Lcncfit, which inay not in itself Lic insignili- cant. In go~ieral, intcrtxitiona\ cnmpaiiics offcr attractivc salary and Lcncfit packages to expatriate coiltract cxccutives wliich arc com- pardde with those available to cmpioyces in tlic UK a i d othcr E i i q w a n countries.

Working o ve 1-SCRS is 11 o L t h crclo 1-c con fi ricd to thosc whose motivation is priinn'rily alrau- isiic; howcvcr, a n clcmciic ol nliruisin docs not go aiiiiss w h e n living in clic rlcvcloping world atnorig peoplc whose i.ctnurieratinn is gcticrally much inwer than the expatriate prnfcssional cngii-icer. Thu social security safety nct, takcn for grantcd by tliosc fortunate ciiough to livc in Curlpc or othcr dcvclopcd parts oi thc world, is not available iri most of thc dcvclopirig nations and tlic h p n c t of uncinployincrit or poor health has to Iw boriiu by thc funilks 01 thosc unal lc to work. This Crcatcs situatioiis which arc visibly cvidcnt to cvcry cxpawiaic workcr and in somc instances can bc very distrcssing, hiit thc dignity which so many pctiplc sl.iow in such dillicult CircLiInstaiices can also bc 1-cwirtliiig LO thusc who witncss unfolding cvents a t first hand.

Projcct managcmcnt lticvitably thcrc arc profcssional friistratitrns

in niatqii ig prnjccts i n thc dcvcloping world, and pariuncc and pcrscvcrancc arc csscntinl prcrcquisitcs to SUCCCSS. Eurcaucratic dclays mid intIansigcncc a rc a n cvcryday uccurrciicc wtiicli can havc scvcrc budgetary implica- tions atid result in cxtcncled irnplcmcntation schcdules. This can o c c u r at tlic apprtwal s t a g for a myriad of rcasons aiid in somc inslsuces can rcsiilt in projcct canccllation, cvcii whcn

Flg. 4 cons1

Power mction

F ilanl 1 under

approval to procced nppcars to have Lccii granted. Hr~wcver, dclays during projcci itnplerncntation arc gciicrally ttic i w r c scrious Ixcausc tiinc lost can ticvcr be rcgaincrl, mid costs acctim~ilntc ~t a (:;it higher rate cluriiig the implcrnciitatiori pliasc wlicn thcrc arc only liiriitcd opporiuiiitics CO rcducc non-producrivc cxpcnditurc.

I'olitically gcncratcd dclays arc gencrallp thc most scrious bccausc it is almost itnpossiblc for cxccurivc managctnent to resolve tlicsc in a rlcvcloping world context; h c y ciin causc vcry considerable problcms 10 any niiijor infra- struciure project and usually folhw ii changc in govcrnincnt. Ou occasions n iicw govcr~iitnetir. will mcrcly frcczc projecis while rhcy carry out a progwimic review, but it i s not iiucot~iinoii f o r projccu to bc ar-hitrarily cniiccllcd with little rccoursc for coinpcrisation tlirougli ihc courts. In such a sicu;ltioti, thc projcci spoiisoi-s I?;cnmlly act to rninirnisc thcir losses, either in cnnjunction wich t h c cxccutivc inanagcrncnt or indcpendctitly. 't'hcrc is lirtlc tlic chicf exccutive c m do in such x situnrioii aucl for chis rcasor it is particularly important wlicn workiizg on coiitriict in ttic dcvclopirigworld that uxpdacc ctigincers liavc unambiguous a n d cnforcealdc contracts of cmplaynicrit wliicli can provide adcquatc protccLion tn the indiviilual in the cvctit of projcct cancellatinn, dcfcrial, or ctiangc of ownership.

Local eiwironriien t Nothing in l ife is ccrrain atid workirig

ovcrscas in nn unfamilint. cnvironincnt may

appear to iriany pcople to he both conhising and risky, but in practice this is not iicccssarily the case p r t i c i i l d y i f sensiblc prccniicions are talccii and as miich preparation as titne allows is madc prior CO departure. As always, lcssmis n w somctitiics Ici~rncri thc hard way and tlic sanic misialrcs arc riirely matlc iwice, hut this is not iitiiquc to wt,driiig in xi cxptriatc situatioii, as iiinny pmfcssioiinl cngiticei-s Irnnw to thcir cost in the UK and clscwlicre iri EuInp~. .

' h n building to achieve I-riisincss dcvclop- mcnt i s univcnally rccogniscd as an imporiatit rnauagci~iciit xtivily, but in inucli of thc world it is still not ~lfccrively practiscd. Aucocratic and clictarnriiil rnnnngcrnciit liolds sway, rosult- ing lnrgclp fmin culriiral cliffercnccs, and R

siirprising lewl of feudal coiitrol still cxists in

ciizcrgencc nf a burgcoiiitig rriiddlc class 01 cdiicatcd profcssional cinployccs has changed A

iiaiion's culturc cnii bc iiicorrcct 3s trarlitioual values still militace ngniost ttic iinplcmcn~n~ion 01' riiatiagcnicnt praciiccs long cstablishcd in t h e itidustrialiscd iiatinns nf Wcstcrn Eiiropc atid clsewhcrc.

In gmcral, scnint expatrhc inmagcrs are introduccd i t1 order to couizicr such influcnccs a n c l Dritisli values rcmain highly sought after and rcspcctcd tliroiighoLir ri~uch nf Asia. Thc sensitivc liatidling of ilccply i.mtcd cultural issucs js a fiscinating challcngc for those cxcciitivcs scelriiig IICW lioriT,oIis, aiid siicccss iii siich iiiattct's can bc cxtrcinely rewarding. Paticncc and pcrscverance arc csscntial qualities iii this dclicatt nrcn, but iii gcncral tlic ISritish

1 . atgc , . ,ircas of Asin. Tlic itnprcssinii that ihc

237

WORKING 0 VERSEAS

Fig. 5 Turblne hall almost complete

have a good reputation for achieving positive a n d long-lasting rcsuits whcrc soinetiiiies other natiotials have failed thrnugli hasty nr prccipitatc action tint fully utidccctond hy local

Ediicatioiiil qualificntiom can be mislcading throughnut inuch of thc devdoping world as forgot1 ccrtificatcs arc not LiiicoIniiion, and coiiiprelierisivc checks arc not always made on tlzc idcntity of thosc sitting cxaminations. Job applicntioiis inay nppcar cxrrcrricly impressive, but personal iutenriews caii quicl<ly leave the expatriate manager confiised, disappoititcd and ai1gi.y. 'I'his Ciiti casily lead to cyiiicistn arid disillusinn, hut usually rcflcce the despcration atnong whole swathes of the population to gain cmploynicnr. at wliatcvcr cost. Political and fciidal influcncc is oftcn A major factor in attcmpting to gain cmployincnt for favmiritcs, rclativcs and othcr individuals, oftcii with little regnrd lor tkc nctiial slrills iquircr l to carry OUT

the rliitics anti rcsponsibilitics of a particular position. Very careful handling is rcquircd in such a situation as consideralilc difficulties can be placcd i n chc WRY of a ncw inl'rastructurc projccc if appropriate action is noc rakcii CO rcspond to local scrisitivities. 'I11 gcneral, the availability of jobs for local cmployccs is a high priority for bntli politicians and feudal landlorrls who c m gain considcrablc status and crcdit among their constituents and tcnniits through SUCC(ISS iii this arc+ as is tlic caw in dcprivcd rcgiom nf i i i d c r i i industrial countries. Howcvcr, ttic differciicc i s thc

cmployccs.

meilsures which may be consideid acceptable in ordcr to achicvc such a prizc.

In most underdcvelg~cd countrics, tlic salary Icvels of govcrninent ernployces arc inuch Iowcr than those paid to the employees of inultinatinnal coinpanics. In addition, working conditions in governincnc offices are generally poor, with air conditioning rcstrictcd to thu pcrsanal oificcs of senior officials only. As most undcrrlcvclopcrl countrics arc located in the hotter rcgioiis of rhc world, the working cnviroii~neiit Cor t.hosc wlio livc pcrniaiicncly in thcsc countrics can bc vcry difficult and not conducivc to high productivity. Tliis situation nftcn lcads to crivy and dysluriction lietwcen the public and tlic privacc sector, m r l ' minor gratifications arc cnmiiionplacc and accclxed as part of thc busincss prnccss, Whilc almost incvitably grccd and cnrruption can develop frorn this sitiiatim, in general this is not officially comlonccl nnci multinational compa- nics arc bccoming mrirc resistant to any such approach iindcr prcssiirc from wcstcrn govcrn- tiicnts and lcndiiig jiisiiiutioiis.

I-Innclling such situations is a fcaturc of cxpacriatc scizior rnanngcmcnt, but should not h e dccnicd a major liiiidrancc to rlic acceprancc of a challeriging appointmcnt overseas; it is riierely aii additional cultural ditnension CO clic job for which oric is being engaged. Engineers with broad corntncrcial experience have an inhemit fccl for ttie valuc of a task in ttie coritext of projcct achievemcnr, and are therc- fore i.easotiably able to rnakc thc corrcct

238 IINGINl!F.KING MANAGEMI"' JOURNAL OC'I'OUEK 1999

judgments in such situations. Also, local senior staff are gcnci.ally wcll adjusted to prevailing

cxpatrinies in this delicate but important area.

In-country advisers Most devcloping coutitrics hnvc aplcthora OC

local cnnsultants who opcrate cithcr a x inrli- virluals or in partuei-ship. T h y we normally i ndepend e lit of the mu It inatio nal c n n s 11 ltancp companies, and care inwt bc cxerciscd \vhcn sclccting who to work with. A good consultant can he invaluable, but tlic wrong politicnl co~iiicctiniis can bc disastrtms arid delay projccr implementation by tnntiths or ycars without necessarily any clear iiidicntion as to t h e roo[ cause. ’This sclcccion 1 x u x s s is oiic of r lw mosl important activirics for any foreign cmnpmy wishing to expand iritn n dcvclopiiig country, and hdrd and fast rulcs arc difficult to clnlomtc. Pcrsond contacts Through biisincss col lcag~ics and diose familiar with a particular country arc pmbably tlic niort ruliable sourccs for evaluatinK consultants, but ovcrscils ernhassics can also 'help through the cxccilent scrviccs provided by comiiicrcial comscllors and thcir pi.ofessinnal ill-couiicry I L i viscrs. ’

Uomcstic cmisirlerations ‘But the family will hatc it’ is a coiiiiiicnt oiic

hears only too ol’tcn ftom thosc seriously considering an ovcrsc~s position in R dcvclop- ing country. Of cnursc, c x h family has ics particular mcds, considcrations and prcjudiccs, but invariably the realisation is niuch bcttcr than the cxpcctniion. ’Tllcrc arc good local nnd cxpatriate schools in m o s t of the large cirics thl~o&out tllc W O I - ~ ~ , and lor ~ O U I I ~ ~ I .

chiklren education is not iiurinilly a prolicm. Iii fact thc variety which overseas trnvcl provides often eiihanccs thc cdiicatinnnl vnliic. I lic availability of vo1uiirai.y -work for spouses and young adult hr i i ly mciiibcrs is alintisc uiilitnitcd arid can be w r y rcwartliiig for thosc individuals scarching for a way tn iiinkc a rneaningful pcrsonal contributioti tu ilic materially lcss wcll off in sociely.‘I’his can bc in hcaltlicnre, cduc&n nr administratinn and the thanks which flowwlicn oiic has to finally pack up and lewc is ilcinonstrablc cvirlcticc of thc grarilude and affcciion fclt bp thosc who havc bcnefitcd froin such coritriburiong. I t is a gross misconception that the pcriplc ol‘ developing countrivs only scclr firiancinl help. ’I’his may b c irue of pwnnic t i t s and politicians b u t thc ordinary citixens nccd nnrl arc w r y gralcftil fo i -

conrliiiotis and can providc vahiablc a d V l C C ’ to

I 1

, ,

help in kind, and many lainilics sap that this contrihiiou has been the innst wwarrliiig aspect of what at the outset inny havc sccimcl R

1iin.qt unattract-ivc jnh cdfcr.

Working in Paltistan EvvL‘ry overseas job is dilfcrcnt, and thcrcforc

claioration of thc pariicular aspects of oiic positirm is only uscfiil in ordci- to illiistratc the rcwards, frustrations ancl cxpericriccs Ol’

wnrking ovcrscas. In m y casc, I was callcrl onc day by n hcadhuntcr who had bccn givcii m y tiatnc. by n third party-the usual thitia, Whcii told that the position would rcquirc iiic t<) iiiovc to Pakistan Cor two ycnrs, my initial rcaction wis to sxy ‘OK in principle’; this is thc first hurdlc bccause a ncpativc ai iliac p i n t would h w c dosed off an opportuiiicy which all m y family IIOW agl-cc NJS proliably n high point in our Iivcs. I was of coiirsc onc of scvcral possiblc ciwdidatcs aiicl the wrong rcsponsc would haw resultcrl in my not bcing o h e d special inducc- rrictits. Iiitcrvicws etc. wcrc all cnnductutt in London, and only at rhc final stage dirl I haw thc opporcutiity to scc written contract tcrins. Howuvci; time was of thc cssciicc for rhc eniploycr and [ tiad to cvaluatc thc offer fairly rapidly 10 secwc tlw position.

A s thc erriploycr was a I’al<istari rcgistcretl cotiipwy it wns riccessary for meto talwccrtaiii issucs on trust, albcit wc l i d agrccd that arbitration woti\d b c through dic [titclnational Fig. 6 Chairman’s visit

WORKING 0 VEICSEAS

Court and English Law would prcvail. What was crucial a t that point was that 1 had trlct wirti the cmploycr in London, arid I felt confitlcnt that thc individual who was sent over to conduct thc interview was trustworthy. Inevitably personal judgments must play a big part in any dccision to accept an O Y C ~ S C M

contract of cinpluymcnt, cspccially whcn the coiiiracc is not bchg placcd or guaraiitccd by a wcll rccogniscd multinational company. Whcn I boardcd thc aircmft for Islamabari oi i a cnld arid wcc early January moriiing in London, 1 had little ,ktlowlcclgc of what to cxpcct on arrival, ns I hati spcnt mosr. of thc short tirric availablc in chc Uli making visa npplications, arranging pcrsonal affairs, and enjoying my last Hogmanay.

On arrival, I ciiscovcrcci that thc cornpany I had becn rccruiced EO lcad liad fallen foiil of tlic hlristati ~ O V C I - I ~ I W I ~ L 2nd thc indcpcndcnt povxr plant project was about to bc canccllcd. Thc Icariiing curvc \vas thcrcforc vcry stccp ;IS

the project sponsors, all ol whom WCIT iimjor ovcrscas invcscors, stood citlicr to sustain very substmtial lclsscs or to pursuc a lcngthy lcgal b a d e ilirougli ~ h c iritcrnationnl criurts with no guarantcc of rc11rcss or rccovcry of funds already invcstcrl. SuUicc to- s ly that, aftcr two years of argument arid prcvm'ication, tcmpcrcd by good seiisc and ccchnical innovalion, iiiatters havc beeti satisfactorily rcsolvcd and thc powct plant will corne on stream in 1997 mdcr a cotnlhation ol local and Malaysian managc- tnctit. For my part I liavc lcarnt much about how business is coductcrl in thc Inclinn sub- cnntirictrt and thc wholc cxpcriciicc has bccn a fascinating professional challenge. '['lie rewards as usud have bccn conimciisiiratc with thc cfforc and tny iiiitial rcspoiisc tu tlic hcadhuiitcr of 'OK in principle' 'was m e ol the bcs t off-thc- cuff dccisions of my li L.

Task priorities Buildiiig a modern power plant in thc

developing world in an arcn whcrc facilitics are I i ni itcd, i 11 fris ~r U ct I I 1.c 1.11 d imcntar y, x nd climatic conditions cxtrcnic is not casy at thc best of time. Howcvc~~, I h a w b c c n most i 111 p rcs s c ri by the s IC i 1 1s a TI d p i 0 li 1 ci i i -s o I v i izg abilities of the intcmationiil concmctors cinployccl mi my projcct. I t was quickly appxcm CO rnc chat thc ovcrscciiig of niajnr contixtors, onc of my tnslts a s chicf cxccutiw of thc operating coinpitiy, would not be my major prcoccupxtion. Rnthcr t h x L had to coIiccnrratc primarily 011 thc projcct cost h s c ,

cornpauy rcporriiig prtmsscs, intcractions bctwecri tlzc various iiivestors none nf wlioiiz initially had a majority liolding, and the deveIoptnent of a w c I I structured npcrating company for thc iuturc inanagcmctrt of thc power plant. In addition thcrc was the cver- prcsciiL role ol tryiiig to mend fcticcs with a governinerit whosc clivii priorities clid not align with those of die iiidcpcndciit powcr plant compmies, arid ~ h o s c major cnnccrn was tiiatiageinetu ol' fin ovcrscas dcbt which had effectively bccii allowcd to run nut of control through corruption, mishanrlling of tlic ccnnotriy and policical vncillation.

Encrgy forecasts by iriclcpcndcnt profcssioii- a h wcrc subordinated to political cxpcriicncy, and const;int load shcdding was blntncd on evcry possible lactor cxccpt ;1 lack of gctieriting capacity. '['he sancriiy of iiztcmntional contracts was abrngated arid sovcrcigii gunrniitccs wcrc igtiored. Nurncrous committccs wcrc S C ~ up and then disbaiidcd before thcir reports could hu publislicd, and only suslaincd iritcrnntional pressure I 2 y govcrnrnciits and Icnciirip agencies finally Eorccd ;1 solutimi thi-ough largely cos- nictic atiiendnicrits LO the coinplcx clcctricitp cariif scrLiciurc. Superimposed on all this was an cdificc of political inlriguc almost iinpossiblu for a n expatriate to fathom in n country whosc cultureand busincss mcthorlology arc s o differ- ciit firm those I l i d prcvioiisly cxpcricncerl. Pcrsannl relationships wcrc always cxtccmcly cordial, but tnistrusl was cndcmic and situation ana1ysi.q. was ti& cxtrcincly difficult. If coiif~isiiig to rlic corripaiiy cxwutivu, for the ovcrsuas sponsors it was alarming and it iiiaric m c a w x c at first hatid of thc sitbslantial risks which jlrc inlicrcnt in thc financing of niajoi. i n fras truct urc projcc ts in the dcvclopi ng world.

Dcspite die problems arid frustrations, I was ablc to lcavc Paltistan i t i lhc ItnowIcrlgc that thc job 1 was recruitcd for I d bouii satisfactorily co~npletcd. 'I'hc project has bccn rchnbilitatod, and the pcoplc of North Sindh I'rovincc will shortly ctijoy a guaranteed clcctricity supply from a statc-of-rhc-xri indipuiious gas-fircd powcr plant financed largcly through Islamic cn-operation by thc GovcrnIncnt of Malaysia.

240