Building flexibility into multi-national human resource strategy: a study of four South African multi-national enterprises

Abstract

The study describes four approaches for configuring corporate HR strategy by firms from an emerging market when dealing with the integration-differentiation dilemma.Most research on strategic international HRM is on the perspective of the affiliate or discusses the degree of isomorphism between the HRM practices of the parent and affiliate. The authors apply a cross-case analysis of the cases of Nando's International, MTN International, Sasol and SABMiller, focus on the implementation of corporate HR strategies from the parent's perspective and show that MNEs differ in the scope and level of abstraction of their corporate HR strategies. It is further suggested that this is primarily due to differences in business model, the need to accommodate national culture, the type and role of organizational culture in the MNE, which impact on the level of convergence of HR management practices. In all of the cases, there is a large degree of variance in these factors.

How are Practices Made to Vary? Managing Practice Adaptation in a Multinational Corporation

“…This tension between global integration and local 2013; ; Robertson, 1995;; Rosenzweig & Singh, 1991;; Westney, 1993). Managing this tension is an ongoing challenge for multinational enterprises across a range of functions (Wöcke, Bendixen & Rijamampianina, 2007). We suggest that organizations manage the dilemma between integration/differentiation, standardization/adaptation or homogeneity/heterogeneity through anticipating and actively engineering the practice adaptation process, as against simply responding to emergent adaptations arising from different kinds of misfits.…”

Talent management motives and practices in an emerging market: A comparison between MNEs and local firms

“…MNEs frequently engage in cross-subsidiary transfer of employees and the deployment of universal HRM systems help to allocate resources, identify and measure high performers and build organizational culture (Collings et al, 2010b, Collings et al, 2007, Wöcke et al, 2007.…”

Evolving human resource management in Southern African multinational firms: towards an Afro-Asian nexus

“…840 -841). Their research also shows some Wocke et al (2007), cultural context factors may also limit or assist the adoption of HRM practices such as performance-related pay and merit promotion, where deference to seniority, service and age remain important in Japan and countries where family control of large enterprises remains strong, e.g. chaebols in South Korea and Malawian firms in Africa.…”

“…A study by Wocke et al (2007) found a range in the extent of convergence of international HRM practices from high convergence (Sasol) to low convergence with evidence of 'crossvergence' in Nando's (Wocke et al 2007, pp. 840 -841).…”