Antecedents of Normative Integration in Multinational Companies: A Conceptual Model

摘要

This paper explores the topic of normative integration and its antecedents in multinational companies. Normative integration is the convergence of objectives, values, and norms of behavior in a multinational company. The topic is under-researched and previous studies have not examined as wide a range of possible causes of normative integration as in this paper. The paper focuses on the definition of normative integration, how it relates to and differs from socialization (i. e., the process of learning about the objectives, values and behavioral patterns in an organization), its advantages and disadvantages, the methods used to create it, and its operationalization. Based on previous research, a conceptual model and related hypotheses are presented for antecedents of normative integration. According to this model, a variety of mechanisms, formal and informal, lead to employee socialization which in turn brings about normative integration in multinational companies. The paper also provides insights for operationalization of normative integration based on the conceptual model, and concludes with a discussion of useful directions for future research.