Recontextualization of the Corporate Values of a Danish MNC in a Subsidiary in Bangalore

The authors analyze the recontextualization of the corporate values of a multinational company (MNC) in one of its subsidiaries. The authors draw upon qualitative material from a case study of a company of Danish origin and its endeavors to implement its corporate values in an Indian subsidiary in Bangalore. The authors show how these values take on new meanings when interpreted by local employees. On the one hand, their understandings are shaped by the prevailing meaning system, including leadership ideals, and on the other hand, by their resources and strategies. To further their understanding of the recontextualization, the authors point to a need to go beyond the system of signification shared within a national culture and include social agency, of which they conceive in Bourdieusian terms.