Global standardization or national differentiation of HRM practices in multinational companies? A comparison of multinationals in five countries

Tony Edwards (), Rocío Sánchez-Mangas, Patrice Jalette, Jonathan Lavelle and Dana Minbaeva
Additional contact information
Tony Edwards: King’s College London
Patrice Jalette: Université de Montréal
Jonathan Lavelle: University of Limerick
Dana Minbaeva: Copenhagen Business School

Journal of International Business Studies, 2016, vol. 47, issue 8, No 6, 997-1021

Abstract: Abstract Drawing on a dataset constructed from a parallel series of nationally representative surveys of multinational companies (MNCs), we compare the performance management (PM) practices of MNCs in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Spain, Denmark and Norway. In each country we analyze data relating to MNCs from that country and of the foreign affiliates of US MNCs. We argue that there is evidence of standardization in the nature of practices across countries, particularly evident in the analysis of US MNCs. Standardization of practices among MNCs is also evident in the rather limited variation in practices between US and indigenous MNCs within each country. Moreover, even where there is evidence of variation across and within countries, this cannot be fully explained by adaptation to local institutional constraints but rather can be seen as the product of how distinct national contexts can promote the take-up of practices.

Keywords: institutional theory; comparative HRM; multinational corporations (MNCs) and enterprises (MNEs); survey method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (30)

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DOI: 10.1057/s41267-016-0003-6

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