INTERCULTURAL INTERACTIONS AT MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS' WORKPLACE: GROUNDED THEORY (original) (raw)
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Journal of Positive Management, Volume 7, Number 1/2016, ISSN 2083-103X, pp. 3-31, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika, 2016
Due to globalization and the global mobility of workforce, working in multicultural environments is a new challenge for employees and managers. The aim of the paper is to analyze the social interactions in multicultural environments of multinational corporations (MNCs) as well as to propose a model of intercultural social interactions in MNCs' specifi c context. Design/methodology/approach: The grounded theory approach was applied to create a model of intercultural interactions in MNCs. The data was obtained during the qualitative research based on comparative case studies collected in 5 MNCs' subsidiaries. Findings: The proposed model refers to the following concepts: 1) Lazarus's transactional stress theory states that job demands may be assessed as hindrances or challenges. The specifi c job demands that aff ect intercultural interactions are multilingualism, cultural diversity, cross-cultural adjustment and team work. 2) Positive psychological capital and an individual's acquired resources are in relation with intercultural interactions. 3) According to Bandura's agentic perspective, individuals take an active role in shaping social interactions and work environment. 4) Being an agent relates to Spreitzer's thriving concept that can serve as a mechanism of relations between the interactions undertaken due to MNCs' specifi c job demands and their outcomes. Research limitations/implications: The qualitative methodology applied to the research does not allow for a broader generalization of the results. The outcomes of intercultural interactions depend mainly on how individuals assess their job demands in MNCs. Practical implications: Since the workplace in MNCs is abundant in learning opportunities, the managers of MNCs need to hire employees who exhibit needs for growth and development to boost thriving in their organizations. Additionally, these managers should search for employees with experience of multicultural settings and a signifi cant capacity of positive psychological capital, 4 thanks to which they are likely to benefi t more from intercultural social interactions. More concern should be put on training the employees' language skills since it may build their self-eff icacy in intercultural interactions. Originality/value: The proposed model focuses on social interactions in MNCs' unique context. The empirical fi ndings were interpreted with regard to psychological and sociological theories and the Positive Organizational Scholarship lens.
Baltic Journal of Managenemt, Volume 12, Issue 2, ISSN 1746-5265, ss. 214 - 239, Wydawnictwo Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2017
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how individuals perceive the quality of intercultural interactions at work in multinational subsidiaries and to address the question of what actually prevails in their accounts, i.e., “the dark side” or “the bright side.” Design/methodology/approach – The authors report the findings from five subsidiaries located in Poland and interviews with 68 employees of these companies. Findings – The “bright side” dominated the interviewees'accounts. The phenomenon of high social identity complexity or common in-group identity can help explain the findings. The results also shed some new light on the associations between the context of subsidiaries and the perception of the quality of intercultural interactions. Research limitations/implications - The paper contributes to the literature on cultural diversity and intercultural interactions in multinational subsidiaries. As the “bright side” of interactions was emphasized in the interviews, it particularly supports positive cross-cultural scholarship studies. Yet the explorative research does not allow for a broader generalization of the results. Practical implications – Managers of multinational corporations (MNCs) should do the following: shape the context of MNCs to influence the dynamics of intercultural interactions and the way they are seen by their employees; emphasize common in-group identity to help their employees to adopt more favorable attitudes toward intercultural interactions; look for individuals with multicultural identity who display more positive approaches to intercultural contacts; place emphasis on recruiting individuals fluent in the MNC’s functional language; offer language training for the staff; and recruit employees with significant needs for development who will perceive more opportunities in intercultural contacts. Social implications – The research demonstrates that the multicultural workplace of MNCs may be recognized by employees as activating the positive potential of the individuals and organizations that make up a society. Originality/value – The accounts of intercultural interactions are analyzed to illuminate some significant foundations of how individuals perceive such interactions. The study provides a qualitative lens and highlights the positive approach to intercultural interactions. It may redress the imbalance in prior research and satisfy the need for positive cross-cultural scholarship. Keywords: Cross-cultural management, Qualitative research, Cultural barriers, Multinational subsidiaries, Positive cross-cultural scholarship research
Thriving in multicultural work settings
Owing to globalization and the global mobility of workforce, working in multicultural environments has become a daily reality for an increasing number of manpower. Such an environment does introduce unique challenges to individuals, enabling some of them to thrive. The aim of the paper, therefore, is to explore the antecedents of thriving and its components in multicultural work settings of multinational corporations (MNCs). The in-depth interviews with 38 informants were conducted to analyze intercultural interactions in 2 MNCs’ subsidiaries. The study demonstrates that those individuals who thrive in MNCs assess their specific job demands as challenges. Moreover, thriving people activate their personal resources to face their challenges, which in return enhances their learning and personal growth. The learning component of thriving appeared to be more salient than vitality. The research may suggest that managers of MNCs should recruit employees whose need for growth is well-developed, since those individuals can benefit more from multicultural work settings and thrive. International experience and psychological capital are the additional factors here that may foster employees’ thriving. To the best of our knowledge this is the first research that explores thriving in multicultural work context. It looks at the antecedents of thriving with the Positive Organizational Scholarship lens. Nevertheless, the study is based on the qualitative methodology, which does not allow for a generalization of the findings.
CONFERENCE READINGS - BOOK PROCEEDINGS, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Digital Ecosystems, Demetris Vrontis, Yaakov Weber, Evangelos Tsoukatos, EuroMed Press, 9th Annual Conference of the EuroMed Academy of Business
The aim of the paper is to examine positive psychological capital (PsyCap) as well as individual factors in the relationship with thriving in the multicultural work environment of multinational corporations (MNCs). We conducted a quantitative study on the sample of 127 individuals from subsidiaries of various MNCs located in Poland and involved in intercultural interactions. The results of cross-sectional study show that employees who have a higher level of PsyCap as resource caravans experience more vitality. Moreover, employees who have a higher level of PsyCap experience more learning at work in MNCs. We also observed that the learning component of thriving was more vivid than vitality. In contrast, individual factors, i.e. job tenure, language proficiency or prior international experience, were insignificant. Our results demonstrate that PsyCap of individuals is a significant factor that triggers their thriving at work in multicultural environments of MNCs.
GLOBALIZATION AND ITS SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES , Proceedings, part I
The purpose of the study was to examine the psychological resources which foster thriving in multicultural work settings of multinational corporations (MNCs) – the companies that are evident manifestation of globalization. Although globalized multicultural workplace creates specific job demands that pose unique occupational stress to individuals, some personal resources enable them to deal with these demands and to thrive. Thriving is the experience of an individual's growth resulted from both vitality and learning in a work context. In the qualitative explorative research the information was gained via semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 38 respondents working in subsidiaries of two MNCs located in Poland. The study presented here is a part of the research entitled " Cross-cultural interactions in foreign subsidiaries of multinational corporations – traditional and Positive Organizational Scholarship approaches " (No. DEC-2013/09/B/HS4/00498, the National Science Centre, Poland). The results demonstrate that those individuals who thrive in the globalized workplace more frequently assess their specific job demands as challenges than hindrances. They also feel more positive than negative emotions. Thriving people activate their personal resources such as curiosity, openness and positive attitudes all of which increase their vitality. Although more effort is needed to deal with cultural diversity in the globalized workplace, those individuals are motivated for long learning, which facilitates their occupational and personal development. Thriving people activate their personal resources to face their challenges, which, in turn, enhances their learning and personal growth. The results of the study are discussed with regard to the transactional stress theory and Positive Psychological Capital.
The Positives of Cross-Cultural Interactions in Multinational Companies and Multicultural Groups
Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Global Business Environment, ISSN:2306-75, 2014
Abstract: The authors attempt to explore the positives of cross-cultural interactions in multicultural organizations such as multinational companies (MNCs) and multicultural teams (MTs). The prior research has generally accentuated problems in relationships among foreigners and less effort has been made so far to examine the benefits flowing from multiculturalism. Therefore, there is a need to fill in the gap identified above by providing evidence that professional contacts with representatives of different national cultural circles may be very fruitful for both multicultural organizations as well as individuals who are employed by them. The initial results of the authors’ study suggests that the following major positives can be obtained due to cultural diversity, namely 1) personal growth; 2) more creativity and innovation due to, among other factors, enhanced learning; 3) flexibility in working styles; 4) more effective communication; 5) individual benefits; and finally 6) confrontation with stereotypes.
THRIVING IN MONO-AND MULTICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXTS
International Journal of Contemporary Management , 2018
Background: Thriving, composed of learning and vitality produces many positive outcomes for organizations. Yet, there is a lack of studies on thriving which is embedded in social interactions that juxtapose the two types of organizational contexts, i.e. mono-with multicultural ones. Research aims: The aim of the paper is to compare the level of thriving (i.e. learning and vitality) in mono-and multicultural work contexts. The author posits that the multicultural work environment has unique demands conducive to thriving to a larger extent than the mon-ocultural one. Methodology: The cross-sectional study was conducted in domestic companies and multinational corporations (MNCs) that represent mono-and multicultural workplaces, respectively. The samples comprised 259 employees having only monocultural interactions and 238 individuals involved in intercultural interactions. Key findings: The research reveals that the subjects employed in the multicultural organizations experienced a higher level of thriving than those working in the monocultural ones. The results support the notion that social contacts, including intercultural interactions, are needed to trigger thriving in organizations. As the paper is concerned with individuals' positive growth, it contributes to the Positive Organizational Scholarship studies.
Proceedings of Extended Abstracts, 12th Annual BMDA Conference "A Successful 21st Century Organization" 7-9 May 2014 , Riga
Since job satisfaction (JS) has received relatively scant attention in intercultural management, the aim of the paper is to analyze how multicultural environments of multinational corporations (MNCs) impact on JS of their employees who interact with representatives of different cultures. Applying subjective well-being and positivity, the authors also propose a model which extends the above relationship. The narrative review that is provided in the paper explains how multicultural settings influence JS. For instance, it reveals that the effect of cultural diversity on JS is inconsistent, i.e. cultural diversity may be positively related to cognitive component, yet it appears to be negatively associated with the affective one. The proposed model extended by positivity broadens the view on JS and its links with cross-cultural interactions. Finally, the paper provides synthesis for future empirical testing of the relationships between working in multicultural settings and JS.
CONFERENCE READINGS. BOOK PROCEEDINGS: Research Advancements in National and Global Business Theory and Practice, ed. by Demetris Vrontis, Yaakov Weber, Evangelos Tsoukatos, Valetta, Malta, EuroMed Press, 2018, 1189-1202, 2018
The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between psychological capital (PsyCap) and thriving in mono-and multicultural environments. We assume that thriving will vary while scrutinizing mono-and multicultural workplaces. We also posit that PsyCap is positively related to thriving and that this relationship will also differ depending on the organizational context. The samples of 238 individuals involved in intercultural interactions and working for various MNCs as well as the ones of 259 respondents having only monocultural interactions and employed in local enterprises were included in the cross-sectional study. International experience and job tenure were control variables. The results show that a higher level of thriving was observed with regard to the individuals involved in intercultural interactions. Moreover, a higher level of PsyCap was related to more thriving in both the mono-and multicultural workplaces. The PsyCap-thriving relationship was also stronger in the multicultural organizations. Abstract The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between psychological capital (PsyCap)
Intercultural Interactions in the Multicultural Workplace. Traditional and Positive Organizational Scholarship, M. Rozkwitalska, Ł. Sułkowski, S. Magala (red.), ISBN 978-3-319-39770-2, pp. 19-35, Wydawnictwo Springer, 2017
Despite ongoing change, most cross-cultural management theory and research tends to emphasize problems and misunderstandings associated with cross-cultural interactions and at the same time deemphasize the positive role of cross-cultural interactions within organizations. We unpack positive features of cross-cultural dynamics by identifying the key processes, conditions and mechanisms through which diversity improves team outcomes by introducing the lens of " Positive Organizational Scholarship ". The goal of this chapter is to showcase research that sheds light on the positive dynamics but also the positive outcomes associated with cross-cultural differences in a wide range of organizational contexts. We are fully aware that this problem-oriented perspective on cross-cultural differences does have merits; nevertheless we would like to strongly indicate that cross-cultural differences may create numerous opportunities and benefits such as increased productivity and creativity, and better problem-solving quality.