Maral Muratbekova-Touron

Working in Kazakhstan and Russia: perception of French managers

The purpose of this exploratory research study is to provide an understanding of how French managers perceive major characteristics of Kazakhstani and Russian management cultures. Based on literature review about culture, the paper uses the cultural dimensions developed by such researchers as Adler, Hall, Hofstede, Schein, Trompenaars, etc., and summarized by Schneider and Barsoux (1997). A qualitative research method - an adaptation of the critical incident technique developed by Flanagan (1954) - is used to explain the peculiarities of Kazakhstani and Russian management culture that create problems for the French managers interviewed (fifteen in Kazakhstan and twelve in Russia). The results indicate that French managers find many common points in the management cultures of Kazakhstan and Russia: both cultures are perceived as cultures with a higher power distance and as more particularistic cultures where a social orientation prevails over a task orientation. Other common points concern human nature, time and truth and reality dimensions. However, there are important differences noted by French managers. Kazakhstani management culture is perceived by them as about being rather than doing and a more collectivist culture, with an orientation towards higher uncertainty avoidance. In the case of Russia, the most importance difference is about hierarchy and affectivity dimensions.

From an ethnocentric to a geocentric approach to IHRM

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the case of one French multinational company which has undergone a process of radical restructuring and “internationalization” because of acquisitions of Anglo‐Saxon multinational companies. It examines how the organizational changes influenced the companys approach to the international human resource management (IHRM).Design/methodology/approach – The methodology of this research is the single case study. Sources of evidences are direct participation and observation, interviews with top managers, and documentation.Findings – The results show that the ethnocentric model, when French managers were placed on the top of the foreign subsidiaries, becomes non‐efficient in the company which doubled its size and the geographical spread of its activities. It is argued that the forces of globalization constrained this multinational company to change from an ethnocentric approach to a geocentric approach to its IHRM.Originality/value – The case demonstrates that nati...

Why a multinational company introduces a competency-based leadership model: a two-theory approach

This paper studies the case of a French multinational company which doubled its size and geographical spread of activities because of acquisitions of Anglo-Saxon multinational companies. It analyses the rationale behind the introduction of a competency-based leadership model in this multinational company through the frameworks of agency and neoinstitutional theories. The interpretation of the data through agency theory leads to the following conclusion: globalization means strengthening agency problems and therefore an increase in agency costs. It is argued that the multinational company introduced the competency-based leadership model as a means of cultural control. A formalized and common reference for leadership development and evaluation makes it possible to reduce information asymmetry, diminish the possibility of opportunistic behaviour among managers and thereby reduce agency costs. While agency theory justifies the introduction of the competency-based leadership model, it does not explain the modalities of its choice. This theoretical perspective ignores the institutional context of HRM choices. The results obtained through the frameworks of neoinstitutional theory show that the choice of the competency model was based on the mimetic mechanisms of institutional isomorphism. Furthermore, the introduction of the competency-based leadership model allows the multinational company to gain both internal and external organizational legitimacy. Consequently, the paper suggests that agency theory has to be combined with insights from the neoinstitutional theory in order to explain the introduction of organizational practices. While agency theory provides the rationale of the models introduction, neoinstitutional theory explicates the nature of the selected organizational practice.

Experience of Canadian and Chinese acquisitions in Kazakhstan

Our intention is to explore and describe the nature and the role of social integration mechanisms that moderate relationships between cultural distance and social integration. We followed one company, currently named KazOil, over 10 years and during two consecutive acquisitions by very different MNCs (Hurricane and CNPC) from two different national cultures (Canada and China, respectively). We found differences in the levels of post-acquisition social integration of the two acquisitions. Surprisingly, a more culturally distant MNC from a national culture perspective was more successful in achieving post-acquisition social integration than a culturally close one. We ascribe this to the fact that although both acquirers made extensive use of both formal and informal social integration mechanisms, they favored different types. We also specify other contextual variables which may explain the above findings.

Mutual perception of Russian and French managers

The purpose of the present exploratory research is to study mutual perceptions of French and Russian managers regarding the management culture of Russia and France, respectively. The present study uses the conceptualization of culture proposed by Schein and cultural dimensions developed by such scholars as Adler, Hall and Hall, Hofstede, Schein, Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner. These cultural dimensions present a framework to study the perception of the host culture by managers regarding a foreign culture. The present research tests asymmetry assumption of mutual perceptions, which suggests that managers on reciprocal transfers differentiate their host and home cultures by means of different cultural dimensions. This exploratory study uses a two-flow sample of French managers working in Russia (the data of Muratbekova-Touron) and Russian managers working in France (current research). It employs a qualitative research method based on in-depth interviews. The results support the hypothesis about the asymmetric nature of mutual perceptions. Russian and French managers working in France and Russia, respectively, do not always use the same cultural dimensions to differentiate their cultures.

Permanence and change: case study of changes in organizational culture at a multinational company

Abstract This paper examines the processes of changing the organizational culture of one French industrial multinational company. This multinational company illustrates that while preserving traditional organizational values the company could change from one type of behaviour to another within the existing culture without provoking change of the culture itself. The empirical data concern the introduction of a competency-based leadership model and support the theory of change 1 developed by Watzlawick et al. While change 1 concerns changes inside a given system, change 2 allows for transcendence of the system and for passage to a different logical level. The lessons learned from this research show that as long as an organization wants to keep its traditional values, possible changes in the organizational culture should always be type 1.

A BRIC MNE's subsidiary in France: human resource management in adaptive mode

Purpose – Some scholars state that multinational enterprises (MNEs) from developing markets manage their subsidiaries in a different way than MNEs from developed markets because the former have to overcome the liability of their country of origin. To analyze this question through the lens of human resource management (HRM), we study the case of a BRIC MNEs subsidiary in France. Design/methodology/approach – We adopted an exploratory and descriptive single case study research design. We used multiple data sources: interviews, internal company documents, academic publications, and media sources. Findings – The results show that the BRIC MNE subsidiary standardizes its HRM practices towards global best practices to compete successfully with MNEs from developed markets. Furthermore, the subsidiarys origin that was considered as a shortcoming in the past is an advantage at present time. Finally, according to the interviewed managers, French subsidiary must overcome a country of origin liability in that it ha...

The paradox of development. The challenges of a French subsidiary vis-à-vis its Latin-American corporate headquarters

Subject area International Human Resource Management. Study level/applicability Master in Management, MBA. Case overview This case is based upon a real Latin-American multinational company operating in France. The character called Anne, Human Resources Director of the French subsidiary, has to implement an organizational project, while at the same time managing local constraints. She also deals with the internal employee survey on working conditions. Through this case study, students will analyze international human resources issues in a company that has offices in different locations and therefore has to deal with different cultural and legal constraints. It tackles questions of employee satisfaction, working conditions and internal communication. It deals with the specific role of the Human Resources (HR) Director of a multinational company’s foreign subsidiary, who has to comply with headquarters’ instructions concerning the implementation of organizational projects and also abide by local laws and regulations. Expected learning outcomes “The Paradox of Development” case has four main learning objectives: It illustrates some well-known cultural values frameworks, such as Hall and Hall’s (1990), Hofstede’s (1991), Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s (1998) and the GLOBE study’s (House et al., 2004) in a concrete way. It teaches students how to deal with the particular issues and constraints of multinationals when operating abroad, especially when the company’s headquarters are located in a developing country while the subsidiaries are in a developed country. And it helps them better understand the role of an HR Director in such a context. It illustrates the shift from standardization–localization debate [global integration – local adaptation dilemma, Bartlett and Ghoshal (1989); Prahalad and Doz (1987)] towards the choice of HR practices among three options, not two: standardization towards headquarters’ practices, standardization towards global best practices and localization (Pudelko and Harzing, 2007, 2008). It tackles the issues of employee satisfaction and working conditions in an international context where employees have different cultural values. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 6: Human Resource Management

The Impact of International Business Education on Career Success— Evidence from Europe

In today’s globalized world, the demands of organizations on future managers have changed, as they need the skills and competences to act efficiently in various cultural environments. Even though e...