Being a 'Modern Indian' in an Offshore Centre in Bangalore: Cross–Cultural Contextualisation of Organisational Identification

Martine Cardel Gertsen, Mette Zølner

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    Abstract

    This article explores how the socio–cultural contexts of a subsidiary shape the organisational identification articulated by its local employees (HCNs). This is relevant as companies globalise with greater socio–cultural distances between organisational units and their employees as a consequence. The analysis is based upon the study of an off–shore service centre in Bangalore that performs financial services for an MNC headquartered in Denmark. The identification with the MNC and its corporate culture expressed by local employees is conveyed as being connected to external self–enhancement (belonging to an esteemed organisation) as well as internal self–enhancement (feeling important within the organisation). The corporate culture is made sense of in the local Indian context and shaped by their particular characteristics as members of Bangalore's international workforce. We argue that understanding and enhancing organisational identification requires careful consideration of the socio–cultural contexts as well as backgrounds of individuals and professional groups.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalEuropean Journal of International Management
    Volume8
    Issue number2
    Pages (from-to)179-204
    ISSN1751-6757
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2014

    Cite this