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Attention in words, not in deeds: Effects of attention dissonance on headquarters-subsidiary communication in multinational corporations

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  • Haq, Hammad ul
  • Drogendijk, Rian
  • Blankenburg Holm, Desirée

Abstract

We introduce the notion of attention dissonance, where the subsidiary within a headquarter-subsidiary relationship feels that headquarters’ attention at the cognitive level, reflected in its strategic intentions (attention perspective), is not aligned with the routine actions the headquarters performs vis-à-vis the specific subsidiary (attention engagement). Using a comparative case study design, we investigate a European organization with subsidiaries located in both emerging and advanced markets. We show how subsidiaries in the emerging markets face attention dissonance, which impedes their ability to get business opportunities across to headquarters, thereby compromising a necessary condition for realizing economic potential in these emerging markets.

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  • Haq, Hammad ul & Drogendijk, Rian & Blankenburg Holm, Desirée, 2017. "Attention in words, not in deeds: Effects of attention dissonance on headquarters-subsidiary communication in multinational corporations," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 111-123.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:52:y:2017:i:1:p:111-123
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2016.10.001
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    Cited by:

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    2. Blankenburg Holm, Desirée & Drogendijk, Rian & Haq, Hammad ul, 2020. "An attention-based view on managing information processing channels in organizations," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(2).
    3. Zhang, Hongjuan & Young, Michael N. & Tan, Justin & Sun, Weizheng, 2018. "How Chinese companies deal with a legitimacy imbalance when acquiring firms from developed economies," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(5), pages 752-767.
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    5. Hendriks, Guus, 2020. "How the spatial dispersion and size of country networks shape the geographic distance that firms add during international expansion," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(6).
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    7. Klaus E. Meyer & Chengguang Li & Andreas P. J. Schotter, 2020. "Managing the MNE subsidiary: Advancing a multi-level and dynamic research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 538-576, June.
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    11. Tomi Laamanen, 2019. "Dynamic attention-based view of corporate headquarters in MNCs," Journal of Organization Design, Springer;Organizational Design Community, vol. 8(1), pages 1-15, December.
    12. Andrews, Daniel S. & Fainshmidt, Stav & Ambos, Tina & Haensel, Kira, 2022. "The attention-based view and the multinational corporation: Review and research agenda," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(2).
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