For example, if the expected level of interaction between the PCN and HCN is low and the degree of similarity is high, then the length of the training should be relatively short and vice versa. This is extremely important for an organization to take note of since the nature and purpose of international assignments will lead to different types of trainings, which would place a different impact to their expatriates. .
Preliminary visit could be another useful tool to ease some of the culture shocks that one might face. From my past experience, before heading to Switzerland for a short-term job, I took a week off from school and went there just to get a better understanding of the Swiss people (mainly my co-workers), their ways of doing business, and most importantly, their corporate culture and values. The effect of my preliminary visit was remarkable since I knew what to expect which greatly eased some of my worries and corrected some of my own expectations and wrong assumptions of Switzerland later on. This led to my faster adoption and adjustment to Switzerland as well. However, one thing that an organization should keep in mind is that the distance between the two countries also plays a significant role. If the Parent country and the Host country are very "culturally close" (For example, Vancouver and Seattle) then it is obviously not necessary to have a preliminary visit. In my case, since I came from a Chinese origin and have adhered to the Chinese ways of doing business, it is extremely essential for me to take this step.
Another useful technique that an organization can provide is language training. Again, I would like to apply this to some real life experiences. Before coming to Singapore for my exchange program, I thought it would not be a problem for me to communicate with the local people here since I know both English and Mandarin. However, it ends up that some names of the food and places, and their jargon are actually based on the Hokken's dialect.