IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/worbus/v57y2022i6s1090951622000578.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Headhunter-assisted recruiting practices in foreign subsidiaries and their (dys)functional effects: An institutional work perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Peltokorpi, Vesa

Abstract

This paper applies the institutional work perspective to elucidate how and why dysfunctional effects are reproduced by HRM practices. Our analysis of headhunter-assisted recruitment of local employees in foreign subsidiaries demonstrates how mutual dependence, self-interests, and a stratified labor market lead to specific candidate search criteria and limit the scope of search. It also shows how these practices result in limited positive effects from the key actors’ perspective, but in the long run reproduce voluntary turnover, communication-competence misalignment, and limited use of local talent pools. However, because these practices have become commonly used, the actors are unwilling and/or unable to change the system.

Suggested Citation

  • Peltokorpi, Vesa, 2022. "Headhunter-assisted recruiting practices in foreign subsidiaries and their (dys)functional effects: An institutional work perspective," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(6).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:57:y:2022:i:6:s1090951622000578
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2022.101366
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090951622000578
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jwb.2022.101366?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vesa Peltokorpi & Eero Vaara, 2012. "Language policies and practices in wholly owned foreign subsidiaries: A recontextualization perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(9), pages 808-833, December.
    2. T. Lawrence & R. Suddaby & B. Leca, 2009. "Introduction : Theorizing and studying institutional work," Post-Print hal-00808954, HAL.
    3. Peter J Buckley & Jonathan P Doh & Mirko H Benischke, 2017. "Towards a renaissance in international business research? Big questions, grand challenges, and the future of IB scholarship," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(9), pages 1045-1064, December.
    4. Farndale, Elaine & Scullion, Hugh & Sparrow, Paul, 2010. "The role of the corporate HR function in global talent management," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 161-168, April.
    5. George Graen & Ravi Dharwadkar & Rajdeep Grewal & Mitsuru Wakabayashi, 2006. "Japanese career progress: an empirical examination," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(1), pages 148-161, January.
    6. Shad Morris & Scott Snell & Ingmar Björkman, 2016. "An architectural framework for global talent management," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(6), pages 723-747, August.
    7. Peter J. Buckley & Martin J. Carter & Jeremy Clegg & Hui Tan, 2005. "Language and Social Knowledge in Foreign-Knowledge Transfer to China," International Studies of Management & Organization, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(1), pages 47-65, January.
    8. Thomas Lawrence & Roy Suddaby & Bernard Leca, 2009. "Introduction: theorizing and studying institutional work," Post-Print hal-00576557, HAL.
    9. Sylvain Colombero & Eva Boxenbaum, 2019. "Authentication as Institutional Maintenance Work," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(2), pages 408-440, March.
    10. Yan, Zheng Joseph & Zhu, Jiuhua Cherrie & Fan, Di & Kalfadellis, Paul, 2018. "An institutional work view toward the internationalization of emerging market firms," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(5), pages 682-694.
    11. Andrew Delios, 2017. "The Death and Rebirth (?) of International Business Research," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(3), pages 391-397, May.
    12. Sylvain Colombero & Eva Boxenbaum, 2019. "Authentication as institutional maintenance work," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) hal-01939376, HAL.
    13. Saka-Helmhout, Ayse, 2020. "Institutional agency by MNEs: A review and future research agenda," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(2).
    14. Keith Goodall & Malcolm Warner, 1998. "HRM dilemmas in China: the case of foreign-invested enterprises in Shanghai," Asia Pacific Business Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(4), pages 1-21, June.
    15. Fan, Di & Zhu, Cherrie J. & Huang, Xinli & Kumar, Vikas, 2021. "Mapping the terrain of international human resource management research over the past fifty years: A bibliographic analysis," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(2).
    16. Park, Hoon & Sun Dai Hwang & Harrison, J. Kline, 1996. "Sources and consequences of communication problems in foreign subsidiaries: The case of United States firms in South Korea," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 79-98, February.
    17. T. Lawrence & R. Suddaby & B. Leca, 2011. "Institutional work - Re-focusing institutional studies of organization," Post-Print hal-00802293, HAL.
    18. Eero Vaara & Vesa Peltokorpi, 2012. "Language policies and practices in wholly owned foreign subsidiaries : A recontextualization perspective," Post-Print hal-02312975, HAL.
    19. Phillip M Rosenzweig & Nitin Nohria, 1994. "Influences on Human Resource Management Practices in Multinational Corporations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 25(2), pages 229-251, June.
    20. Crane, Bret & Hartwell, Christopher J., 2019. "Global talent management: A life cycle view of the interaction between human and social capital," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(2), pages 82-92.
    21. Sylvain Colombero & Eva Boxenbaum, 2019. "Authentication as institutional maintenance work," Post-Print hal-01939376, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Magnani, Giovanna & Gioia, Denny, 2023. "Using the Gioia Methodology in international business and entrepreneurship research," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(2).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Vesa Peltokorpi, 2023. "The “language” of career success: The effects of English language competence on local employees’ career outcomes in foreign subsidiaries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 54(2), pages 258-284, March.
    2. Peltokorpi, Vesa, 2015. "Corporate Language Proficiency and Reverse Knowledge Transfer in Multinational Corporations: Interactive Effects of Communication Media Richness and Commitment to Headquarters," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 49-62.
    3. Syed Imran Saqib & Matthew MC Allen & Geoffrey Wood, 2022. "Lordly Management and its Discontents: ‘Human Resource Management’ in Pakistan," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 36(3), pages 465-484, June.
    4. Peltokorpi, Vesa, 2015. "Foreign subsidiary top manager nationality and language policy: The moderating effects of subsidiary age and size," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 739-748.
    5. Peltokorpi, Vesa & Yamao, Sachiko, 2017. "Corporate language proficiency in reverse knowledge transfer: A moderated mediation model of shared vision and communication frequency," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(3), pages 404-416.
    6. Carney, Michael & Dieleman, Marleen & Taussig, Markus, 2016. "How are institutional capabilities transferred across borders?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(6), pages 882-894.
    7. Canning, Mary & O'Dwyer, Brendan, 2016. "Institutional work and regulatory change in the accounting profession," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1-21.
    8. Bettini, Yvette & Brown, Rebekah R. & de Haan, Fjalar J. & Farrelly, Megan, 2015. "Understanding institutional capacity for urban water transitions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 65-79.
    9. Aburous, Dina, 2019. "IFRS and institutional work in the accounting domain," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1-15.
    10. Sietze Vellema & Greetje Schouten & Rob Van Tulder, 2020. "Partnering capacities for inclusive development in food provisioning," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 38(6), pages 710-727, November.
    11. Oliver Henk, 2020. "Internal control through the lens of institutional work: a systematic literature review," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 239-273, September.
    12. Abdelnour, Samer & Hasselbladh, Hans & Kallinikos, Jannis, 2017. "Agency and institutions in organization studies," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 86361, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    13. Zhang, Ling Eleanor & Harzing, Anne-Wil, 2016. "From dilemmatic struggle to legitimized indifference: Expatriates’ host country language learning and its impact on the expatriate-HCE relationship," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(5), pages 774-786.
    14. Eunbi Kim, 2023. "Top management staffing and subsidiary performance under home-country uncertainty," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(4), pages 1513-1543, September.
    15. Minbaeva, Dana & Muratbekova-Touron, Maral & Nayır, Dilek Zamantılı & Moreira, Solon, 2021. "Individual responses to competing institutional logics in emerging markets," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(4).
    16. Böhling, Kathrin & Arzberger, Monika B., 2014. "New modes of governance in Bavaria's alpine forests: The ‘Mountain Forest Initiative’ at work," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 43-50.
    17. Vesa Peltokorpi & Markus Pudelko, 2021. "When more is not better: A curvilinear relationship between foreign language proficiency and social categorization," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(1), pages 78-104, February.
    18. Ertimur, Burçak & Chen, Steven, 2020. "Adaptation and diffusion of renovations: The case of the paleo diet," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 572-580.
    19. Rishikesan Parthiban & Israr Qureshi & Somprakash Bandyopadhyay & Babita Bhatt & Saravana Jaikumar, 2020. "Leveraging ICT to Overcome Complementary Institutional Voids: Insights from Institutional Work by a Social Enterprise to Help Marginalized," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 633-653, June.
    20. Henk E. Meier & Marcel Reinold, 2018. "Immunizing Inefficient Field Frames for Mitigating Social Problems: The Institutional Work Behind the Technocratic Antidoping System," SAGE Open, , vol. 8(2), pages 21582440187, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:57:y:2022:i:6:s1090951622000578. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/620401/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.