The EPRG Model

Growing Into a Global Company

Help your organization develop globally.

© iStockphoto/yesfoto

Imagine that three different companies have decided to expand and open new international offices.

Company A struggles in its new location for several years, and ends up closing its office, because it never meets its leaders' expectations.

Company B has a difficult start in its new location, but it slowly begins to improve, although not as quickly as the organization had hoped. But company C's office starts well and continues to exceed expectations, year after year.

So, what's the difference between these companies?

Each has a different perspective on international growth.

Company A believes that its home country has the best staff, resources, and practices, so it creates an exact replica of itself in the host country. Company B slowly realizes that professionals in the host country have a better understanding of the local culture and values, so it customizes its approach to reflect the needs of the new culture.

Company C, however, believes that each international office is unique, right from the start. It encourages local professionals to apply for jobs, and it customizes processes and performance metrics to fit the host culture's values and beliefs.

Companies that expand internationally have a number of challenges to overcome; and one of the biggest is to change their perspective to adapt to their new markets. Your organization is most likely to succeed if you can model it after Company C, and embrace the global culture that we are all now part of.

In this article, we'll look at the EPRG Model – a model that international organizations can use to develop a strategic, global approach to international expansion.

... for the complete article:

Mind Tools members, click here.

Join the Mind Tools Club to finish this article AND get 1,000 more resources

Join now for just $1, first month

"When I started using Mind Tools, I was not in a supervisory position. Now I am. Along with that came a 12% increase in salary."
– Pat Degan, Houston, USA

Join the Mind Tools Club

Get training, help and ideas to boost your career: the Mind Tools Club gives you much, much more than you get here on the basic Mind Tools site.

And if you join before midnight on May 9th, we'll also give you a FREE copy of our Future-Proof Your Career workbook.

Find out what you get