MNC Interdependence and Local Embeddedness Influences on Perceptions of Career Benefits from Global Integration
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Local and Interdependence
Embeddedness Influences
Perceptions
of
Career
Global
Benefits
on
from
Integration WilliamNewburry
UNIVERSITY RUTGERS
This manuscript examines when global integration is perceived as being beneficial and/or detrimental to employee careers. Study results demonstrate that employees of more interdependent offices generT
his manuscript examines a micro-
level aspect of globalization's Janus nature: when an MNC office's employees perceive global integration as being beneficial and/or detrimental to office careers. While scholars have studied effective expatriate management, little rehow global search has examined integration impacts careers of primarily local personnel. Distinctions between expatriate and local careers highlight global integration's Janus nature. Global integration makes expatriate careers possible, and while expatriation has negative aspects (e.g. managing dual alliances, Black and Gregerson, 1992), these come with the acceptance of an expatriate position. By contrast, the choice for
ally perceive greater career benefits from global integration, while employees of more locally embedded officesperceive negative careerconsequences. Hypotheses are guided by a theory of attention focus. general office employees to join a glo-
bally integrated corporation is often made for them, either by a top management decision to integrate operations, or through being acquired. Accordingly, these employees' perceptions regarding global integration's impact may differ from expatriate perceptions. Moreover, ineffective integration may leave these employees vulnerable when local employee skill sets do not match global career requirements (Adler and Bartholomew, 1992). "Not everyone in the organization is going to thrive and prevail in a global environment" (Roberts, Kossek and Ozeki, 1998, p. 95). Examining career perceptions is particularly important in professional ser-
William Newburry is an Assistant Professor at Rutgers University. He received his Ph.D. in
InternationalBusiness and Managementfrom New York University in January2000. The authorwishes to thank Myles Shaver,Bill Guth,MaddyJanssens,CharlesFombrunand the study corporation for supporting this research, which originated from the author's NYU doctoraldissertation.The manuscript also benefited from anonymous JIBSreviewer comments, guidance from the special issue editors, and a 1999 AIB Meeting presentation.
BUSINESSSTUDIES,32, 3 (THIRDQUARTER2001): 497-507 JOURNALOFINTERNATIONAL
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CAREERBENEFITSFROMGLOBALINTEGRATION
vice firms (including the firm studied herein), where human resources can significantly impact firm performance (Hitt et al., 2001). Moreover, competition for local talent to support geographic expansion in these industries makes management of employee perceptions paramount to retaining skilled labor. Managing perceptions can be difficult, howev
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