Widening the lens: Rethinking distance, diversity, and foreignness in international business research through positive organizational scholarship

Stahl, Gönter K.; Tung, Rosalie L.; Kostova, Tatiana; Zellmer‐Bruhn, Mary E.

doi:10.1057/jibs.2016.28

Cited by 96 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 59 publications

(58 reference statements)

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“…Third, this research complements the literature that has overly stressed the negative effects of institutional distance and associated concepts on organizations (Stahl et al, 2016), and it discloses sheer contrast among rapid export expansion toward different destination locations. We suggest some scenarios under which seemingly disadvantageous startup firms from emerging markets may overcompensate their weakness and enjoy financial gains.…”

Section: Contributionssupporting

confidence: 56%

“…The study incorporates direction of distance (Dau, 2013;Tsang & Yip, 2007;Zaheer, Schomaker, & Nachum, 2012) and conceptualizes upward and downward export expansion speeds. Third, the study assesses if and how rapid upward and downward export expansions generate opposite effects on firm performance and complements the literature that has overly underscored the negative effects of institutional distance and associated concepts (Stahl, Tung, Kostova, & Zellmer-Bruhn, 2016). Fourth, this study advances institutional theory from a locational perspective by examining the joint effect of different aspects of institutions (Holmes, Miller, Hitt, & Salmador, 2013), namely heterogeneity in supranational institutional distance and heterogeneity in subnational institutional quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

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Rapid expansion of international new ventures across institutional distance

2018

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Rapid export expansion into institutionally distant locations has become more possible in the era of digital economy. Will such rapid expansion bring desirable outcome to firms? In a context of international new ventures (INVs) from emerging markets, we reconceptualize export expansion speed as the pace of exporting across institutional distance over a certain period of time. We then examine the relationship between rapid export expansion across institutional distance and overall firm performance. We incorporate directionality into export expansion and hypothesize the relationship to be positive when INVs export upwardly to more open countries, yet the relationship to be negative when INVs export downwardly to less open countries. We also hypothesize that the degree of market liberalization in subnational regions of origin of the INVs moderates the above speed-performance relationships. Instrumental variable models based on data of Chinese indigenous INVs during 2000-2009 support these hypotheses. This study both zooms in and zooms out the analytical lens along the location-related institutional axis, examines the joint effect of institutions involved in supranational directions and subnational origins on firm performance, and advances institutional theory.

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Section: Contributionssupporting

confidence: 56%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Rapid expansion of international new ventures across institutional distance

2018

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“…Values-based identification is able to tap into these important developments through a positive lens (see Stahl et al, 2014) that focuses on elements connecting different entities rather than those leading to group distinctiveness and corresponding in-and out-groups. More specifically, it represents a more positive treatment of cultural diversity in emphasizing the positive rather than negative effects, which is "a more accurate reflection of the reality of cross-cultural contact in international business" (Stahl & Tung, 2015: 391).…”

Section: Values-based Identificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We argue that this approach is particularly well suited to the MNC subsidiary context in which group membership is more ambiguous than in less complex and more proximate contexts, and in which it is often beneficial for employees to identify with groups of which they are not formally members. Further, a values-based approach provides a positive lens (Stahl, Tung, Kostova, & Zellmer-Bruhn, 2014) for examining dual identification since its emphasis lies on establishing a common purpose for the corporation that does not necessarily require the abandoning of values held by the subsidiary. By doing so, it enables us to identify factors that can transcend the geographical, cultural, linguistic, and functional boundaries that separate the different units of the MNC (Lauring, 2008;Mäkelä, Andersson, & Seppälä, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dual values-based organizational identification in MNC subsidiaries: A multilevel study

et al. 2015

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Dual organizational identification -with both the whole corporation and the local subsidiary -is considered valuable for subsidiary employees, international assignees, and multinational corporations (MNCs). While extant research has examined antecedents of separate targets of identification, it has not fully addressed the challenge of identifying factors capable of supporting both simultaneously. This study examines the influence of individual-and organizational-level factors on the dual values-based identification of foreign subsidiary employees. Drawing on acculturation and organizational socialization theory, we test hypotheses on multilevel data from 793 managers and professionals in 90 foreign subsidiaries belonging to 11 Nordic MNCs. The results show that dual values-based identification is associated with acculturation and first-hand contact at the individual level, and a supportive social context for affective learning at the organizational level. Through its emphasis on higher-order elements that connect different parts of the MNC, rather than those that lead to the formation of in-groups and out-groups, the values-based approach to identification contributes to our understanding of dual identification in MNC subsidiaries, and represents a more positive treatment of cultural diversity. The findings have heightened practical relevance given the emphasis individuals are placing on values congruence in career choices and MNC efforts at instilling shared values.

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“…The study was a response to the call for more positive research on international business in general and on socio-cultural integration in particular (Stahl et al, 2013(Stahl et al, , 2016. This paper has argued that dialogue can be used to create positivity regarding socio-cultural integration throughout the stages of unfreezing, moving, and refreezing (Lewin, 1947) by actively engaging employees in voicing, listening, respecting, and suspending (Isaacs, 1999).…”

Section: Propositions and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dialogue as a source of positive emotions during cross-border post-acquisition socio-cultural integration

Harikkala-Laihinen

Hassett

Raitis

et al. 2017

CCSM

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse how dialogue can be used to promote post-acquisition socio-cultural integration. Specifically, it addresses questions regarding when and how companies can utilise dialogue to generate positivity regarding socio-cultural integration. Design/methodology/approach A single case study approach was adopted owing to its suitability for creating in-depth understanding in the context of socio-cultural integration. Primary data were collected via interviews, an employee satisfaction survey, and participant observation. Secondary data were obtained from the case company’s internal materials, such as strategies, integration workflows, and employee magazines. Analysis methods included descriptive statistics and thematic qualitative analysis. Findings The findings suggest that dialogue can be used to create positivity regarding socio-cultural integration throughout the stages of unfreezing, moving, and refreezing by actively engaging employees in voicing, listening, respecting, and suspending. It is proposed that cultural conflict during post-acquisition socio-cultural integration can be overcome through the generation of positivity; dialogue enables the collective management of emotions during post-acquisition integration by offering a platform for creating positivity and social cohesion; and due to its collaborative and engaging nature, dialogue provides an especially effective means of communication for overcoming cross-cultural conflict. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to showcase dialogue as a specific means of communication for creating positivity during cross-border socio-cultural integration. This study reached beyond comparative cultural research to offer views on positivity, emotion during socio-cultural integration, and dialogue as means for overcoming cross-cultural conflict.

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Widening the lens: Rethinking distance, diversity, and foreignness in international business research through positive organizational scholarship

Cited by 96 publications

References 59 publications

Rapid expansion of international new ventures across institutional distance

Rapid expansion of international new ventures across institutional distance

Dual values-based organizational identification in MNC subsidiaries: A multilevel study

Dialogue as a source of positive emotions during cross-border post-acquisition socio-cultural integration

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