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The coordination of globalized R&D activities through project teams organization: an exploratory empirical study

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  • Mendez, Ariel

Abstract

The paper deals with the positioning and the role of project groups in the international organization of R&D in multinational companies (MNCs). Today, MNCs develop cross-national models of organization, which require important mechanisms of coordination. They are no longer seeking only to control their overseas subsidiaries but to co-operate with them. In this process, the project is central. The question is then to know how this function of articulation is operating, i.e., by which organizational mechanisms the project allows individuals who are geographically, professionally and culturally remote to be brought together around common objectives. Today, this capacity of coordination is largely based on standardization of results and work procedures. From a methodological point of view, this paper is based on an exploratory empirical study carried out into seven MNCs in three sectors: pharmaceuticals, chemicals, computer industry. A detailed attention was paid to the organization by projects as mechanism of coordination, to its configuration and to the factors which influence it.

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  • Mendez, Ariel, 2003. "The coordination of globalized R&D activities through project teams organization: an exploratory empirical study," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 96-109, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:38:y:2003:i:2:p:96-109
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    2. Nilsson, Magnus & Mattes, Jannika, 2013. "The spatiality of trust – Antecedents of trust and the role of face-to-face contacts," Papers in Innovation Studies 2013/16, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    3. Lam, Alice, 2008. "The Tacit Knowledge Problem in Multinational Corporations: Japanese and US Offshore Knowledge Incubators," MPRA Paper 11487, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Deborah Giustini, 2021. "The Impact Of Labour Market Trends On The Employment Of R&D Personnel: A Literature Review," HSE Working papers WP BRP 117/STI/2021, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    5. Athreye, Suma & Batsakis, Georgios & Singh, Satwinder, 2016. "Local, global, and internal knowledge sourcing: The trilemma of foreign-based R&D subsidiaries," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 5694-5702.
    6. Lampel, Joseph & Bhalla, Ajay, 2011. "Living with offshoring: The impact of offshoring on the evolution of organizational configurations," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 346-358, July.
    7. S. X. Zeng & X. M. Xie & C. M. Tam & P. M. Sun, 2008. "Identifying cultural difference in R&D project for performance improvement: A field study," Journal of Business Economics and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 61-70, November.
    8. Kostova, Tatiana & Marano, Valentina & Tallman, Stephen, 2016. "Headquarters–subsidiary relationships in MNCs: Fifty years of evolving research," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 176-184.
    9. Valentino, Alfredo & Caroli, Matteo & Mayrhofer, Ulrike, 2018. "Establishment modes and network relationships of foreign subsidiaries," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(6), pages 1250-1258.

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