Attention turns to where to establish a presence, how to form alliances and what the financial rewards might be. But one key consideration is sometimes overlooked: how will responsibilities evolve for current employees as the business expands its domestic market?
A sales director used to managing domestic clients could suddenly be required to negotiate with distributors in multiple countries. An operations manager experienced in overseeing projects nationwide may now have to manage remote workers and coordinate activities across several time zones. Executives may find themselves heading up international teams.
Their job titles may remain unchanged, but the demands of their roles can be very different.
International growth also transforms jobs
Some of the most relevant changes take place in negotiations, commercial relationships, project coordination and international leadership.
Working with international partners may involve different commercial expectations, decision-making processes and approaches to risk. Managing projects across several countries introduces additional considerations, from local operating conditions to the allocation of responsibilities between teams and markets.
For example, a sales director who previously focused on closing individual deals may now be responsible for developing long-term distributor relationships, assessing local partners and coordinating commercial activity across several markets. The challenge is no longer simply to sell effectively, but to manage a broader international operation.
Leading international teams also requires managers to establish shared objectives, coordinate professionals working in different environments and maintain accountability across locations.
These changes do not necessarily imply hiring new profiles. Instead, businesses need to identify how existing roles are evolving and which additional capabilities will enable employees to meet their new responsibilities. This forms the basis of international workforce readiness: ensuring professionals are equipped for the practical demands of working across borders.
“A company can have a solid international growth strategy, but it also needs people with the skills and judgement to put that strategy into practice,” explains Iñaki Nieto, CEO of Kleinson. “Expanding into new markets brings additional responsibilities, from managing international partnerships to navigating unfamiliar business environments. Preparing professionals for those responsibilities is an essential part of making the strategy work.”
For British companies, this means looking beyond the initial decision to enter a market and considering how international expansion will affect the people responsible for delivering it.
From individual skills to international performance
Corporate training has traditionally addressed languages, negotiation, communication, leadership and cultural intelligence as separate areas of professional development. Although each has its place, professional activity in international environments rarely takes place in a vacuum.
A negotiation with an overseas partner, for example, may involve elements of business communication, cultural awareness, commercial acumen and language proficiency. Equally, managing a dispersed team is not only about leadership skills – it also requires adaptation, building trust and cohesion in the workplace.
The challenge for employers is to connect these capabilities with the situations their professionals actually encounter. Rather than starting with a list of training courses, businesses can begin by examining what each role needs to achieve internationally and identifying the skills required to deliver those outcomes.
Gonzalo Pérez Garrido, Head of Strategy, Communication and Marketing at Kleinson, believes that “professional development needs to evolve alongside a company’s international strategy. When a business enters new markets, it should also reconsider what effective performance looks like in each role. The priority is not simply to develop more skills, but to ensure people can apply the right capabilities to achieve results in their new working environment.”
This approach brings professional development closer to business strategy by focusing on how employees apply their capabilities in practice, rather than treating training as an activity separate from their responsibilities.
International Performance Training® (IPT®)
One approach to addressing these challenges is International Performance Training® (IPT®), developed by Kleinson based on almost two decades of experience in corporate training and international professional development.
The model begins by examining the professional situations, responsibilities and objectives associated with a particular role. Depending on those requirements, preparation may combine professional communication, negotiation, international leadership, cultural intelligence and language skills.
For example, preparing a commercial manager to develop an international distribution network may require a different combination of capabilities from those needed by an operations director coordinating teams across several countries. Both work internationally, but their responsibilities and performance objectives differ.
By linking development to specific roles and business objectives, IPT® aims to help organisations translate professional capabilities into effective performance in international settings.
This places international team performance within the wider business strategy, rather than treating training as a standalone activity.
Language requirements may also evolve as British organisations expand into particular markets. Companies developing relationships in Spain and Latin America, for instance, may benefit from professionals who can conduct business in Spanish as well as English. Kleinson is currently developing a dedicated Business Spanish methodology and platform, expected to become available in early 2027. This initiative is separate from its existing IPT model and focuses specifically on professional communication in Spanish-speaking business environments.
Preparing people is part of executing strategy
International expansion can change the scope of a business long before its organisational structure or job titles reflect that transformation. Recognising these changes early gives companies an opportunity to assess whether their existing teams have the capabilities required for the next stage of growth.
This does not necessarily mean introducing extensive new training programmes. It means understanding where international responsibilities create new demands, identifying the capabilities that matter most and ensuring professional development supports the company’s commercial and operational priorities.
For businesses seeking to establish a lasting presence in international markets, workforce readiness is therefore more than a training consideration. It is part of the practical work of turning international ambitions into business results.
