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"Ambivalence of the local managerial resistance within the multinational corporation: case study of IBM Montpellier (France)"
Pauline Keh, Régis Meissonier
Organization Studies Workshop, 22-24 mai 2014, Corfu, Greece
While nowadays multinational companies tend to delocalize their subsidiaries to offshore countries, this article analyze the strategy developed over 4 key periods by IBM Montpellier (France) to avoid the site closure planed by the headquarter. An in-depth research has been conducted during four years. 53 interviews were conducted and completed with participant observations and second-order data. Main results show ambivalent strategic responses between resistance - opposition at one side and acceptance - conformity at the other side. The subsidiary had balanced between two alternatives and finally managed to resist to the closure decision of the HQ while taking initiatives in line with corporate objectives. The conclusion expands the results, questions the traditional dichotomy between acceptance and resistance to change and propose a typology integrating both dimensions.