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Björn Ambos
Title
Prof. Ph.D.
Last Name
Ambos
First name
Björn
Email
bjoern.ambos@unisg.ch
Phone
+41 71 224 7610
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1 - 4 of 4
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PublicationUnravelling Agency Relations inside the MNC: The Roles of Socialization, Goal Conflicts and Second Principals in Headquarters-Subsidiary Relationships(Elsevier Science, 2019)In this paper, we propose and test an agency model for HQ-subsidiary relations. Drawing on classical agency assumptions, we develop a baseline hypothesis that links informal controls (i.e., socialization), HQ-subsidiary goal conflicts, and the HQ’s use of formal controls (i.e., behavioral controls). We subsequently introduce an important boundary condition, which reflects subsidiaries’ internal agency relations with subsidiary CEOs as second principals. More specifically, we argue that the baseline relationship only holds under low levels of second principal power. To test our model, we employed a unique study design with three parallel surveys addressing the agents and the two principals involved in 131 agency relations within one MNC.Type: journal articleJournal: Journal of World BusinessVolume: 54Issue: 2
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PublicationOrganizational Practice Adoption in the MNC: The Role of Managers' Core Self-EvaluationsAlthough the adoption of organizational practices by subsidiaries is a key concern in multinational corporations (MNCs), research on the individuals involved in practice adoption is lacking. Despite calls in the MNC literature for investigations of the psychological foundations of managers' behavior, such investigations are rare and have been complicated by difficulties in obtaining intimate assessments from managers. Building on personality research, we propose that subsidiary managers' core self-evaluations (CSE) positively influence their practice-adoption behavior. Consistent with personality and organizational control research, we also posit that formal and informal controls play contingent roles. Our analysis of a unique dataset of individuals involved in 130 practice-adoption cases within one European MNC offers large support for our hypotheses.Type: conference paper
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PublicationThe Impact of Core Self-Evaluations on Organizational Practice Adoption in the Multinational Corporation( 2014-06-15)The adoption of organizational practices is known to be elementary in the creation of sustained competitive advantage for the multinational corporation (MNC). In this study, we explore the role of the subsidiary managers' personality in the adoption of practices mandated by a corporate headquarters to subsidiary units in a large European MNC. We analyzed 130 cases of practice adoption a large European MNC and found that managers' core self-evaluation (CSE) is a significant factor with respect to the implementation of practices. In addition, the empirical findings suggest that the organizational context moderates the relationship between managers' personality and practice adoption. The study contributes to the emerging literature on the role of individual's personality in practice adoption and the microfoundations of knowledge transfers in large organizations.Type: conference paper
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PublicationTowards the Micro-Foundations of Organizational Practice Adoption in the MNC: The Role of Core Self-Evaluation(Academy of International Business, 2014-06-24)The adoption of organizational practices is elementary in the creation of sustained competitive advantage for the multinational corporation (MNC). While prior studies have largely focused on the institutional context, in this study, we explore the role of the subsidiary managers' personality in the adoption of practices mandated by corporate headquarters to subsidiary units. Using a unique data set, we analyze 130 practice adoption cases in a large European MNC and find that managers' core self-evaluation (CSE) is a significant factor with respect to the implementation and internalization of organizational practices. In addition, the empirical findings suggest that socialization of subsidiary managers moderates the relationships between managers' personality and both dimensions of organizational practice adoption. Drawing attention to the role of individuals in organizational practice adoption, the study contributes to the emerging literature on the micro-foundations of knowledge transfers in large organizations.Type: conference paper