The impact of human resource management identity on strategic intent in multinational organizations

This research examines the degree to which individual and organizational identities influence the strategic direction of the multinational organization as it pertains to the human resource management function. The individual decision maker's national identity was argued to interact with the organization's human resource management policy to influence the degree to which the organization sought to transfer parent style HRM practices to overseas affiliate units. This was a multidisciplinary study which drew upon theory and research from sociological and psychological identity, strategy and human resource management theory and research to predict under what circumstances a multinational organization will choose certain human resource management strategies for its overseas operations.;An international survey was conducted comparing managers responses in Japanese and American multinational firms. The survey assessed individual national identity profiles, headquarter human resource management policies and practice, as well as internationally oriented organization level human resource strategies.