Staffing a Regional Office of a Scandinavian MNC with Mexican Millenials and Bridging National and Generational Divides

This paper draws on a longitudinal case study investigating how the Scandinavian multinational corporation (MNC) Arla Foods established its Latin America office in Mexico. Attracting welleducated local managers who have previous experience with international business is challenging in environments where both foreign and domestic companies strongly compete for local talent. We examine how Arla Foods in Mexico has, nevertheless, succeeded in attracting as well as retaining local Millennials. Our case study contributes to the literature on international human resource management (IHRM) issues by highlighting how talent management in an emerging market may present particular challenges for MNCs that prefer to adhere to global HR standards regardless of the local job market and local employee needs. It also draws attention to the influence that Mexico’s colonial past still has on the mindset of many Mexican employees, even the well-educated and internationally oriented middle managers belonging to the Millenial generation.