Managing Talent in Global Environments

Abstract

In response to the call to elucidate the conditions necessary for successful multinational organization, this discussion is centered on effective communications between a subsidiary company located in China and an American parent organization (multinational company, MNC) based in the USA. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 participants including the expatriate managers and the local employees. The findings show that the challenges facing the MNC mainly include confrontation in the contexts of conflict based on cultural differences and supervisor-subordinate interaction, and collectivity reflected in two themes including group dynamics and collective activities. The MNC incorporates local knowledge systems into its administration schema when conducting business worldwide. The study shows that perceptions of both management and employees vary. The challenge is to increase understanding of the job and what needs to be done in different environment as antecedent to increased outputs.