Interpretive Frames as the Organization's "Mirror": From Espoused Values to Social Integration in MNEs

Many multinational enterprises (MNEs) seek to strengthen their competitive positions through internal integration. Socialization is a key integration mechanism to leverage advantages across MNEs' geographically dispersed organizational units. Parent organizations often communicate a set of valu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Management international review 2016-04, Vol.56 (2), p.171-194
Main Authors: Grøgaard, Birgitte, Colman, Helene Loe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Associations, institutions, etc
Behavior
Business and Management
Business Strategy/Leadership
Case studies
Decision making
Emerging Markets/Globalization
Endorsements
Foreign subsidiaries
International business enterprises
Multinational corporations
Operations Management
Organization
Organizational behavior
Organizational structure
Research Article
Social integration
Socialization
Studies
Values
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Many multinational enterprises (MNEs) seek to strengthen their competitive positions through internal integration. Socialization is a key integration mechanism to leverage advantages across MNEs' geographically dispersed organizational units. Parent organizations often communicate a set of values intended to guide action throughout the MNE, referred to as espoused values, to initiate a socialization process. However, we have limited insights into how espoused values are endorsed and subsequently contribute to MNE integration. Through a case study, we analyze how espoused values are interpreted by the foreign subsidiaries and influence subsequent subsidiary behavior. Our findings suggest that the socialization process is complex, where the local context and perceptions of headquarter nationality provide the frames for interpretation. We identify that even though the espoused values may differ in their operationalization in local contexts, they can still contribute to MNE integration. This study contributes to existing MNE literature by conceptualizing the role of interpretive frames and the endorsement of values in achieving integration through espoused values.
ISSN:0938-8249
1861-8901
DOI:10.1007/s11575-015-0273-4