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A MIXED METHOD STUDY OF WHAT INFLUENCES SUBSIDIARY MANAGERS’ COMPLIANCE WITH HEADQUARTERS INSTRUCTIONS

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Management.
Traditionally, clandestine non-compliance with headquarters instructions (as included in strategic plans, procedures, policies, ways of working and delegation of authority) by subsidiary managers has been viewed as undesirable and destructively deviant. It was frowned upon as being inspired by motives such as self-interest, dissatisfaction and low commitment among others; however, this is not always true. This dissertation demonstrates that subsidiary managers sometimes have honorable intentions when they covertly engage in non-compliance with headquarters instructions. It thus contributes to the embryonic research stream of constructive or positive deviance at the individual unit of analysis level by elucidating the factors influencing such initiatives. Being able to identify which factors influence constructive deviant behaviors helps us predict its manifestation and possibly nurture the potential benefits of such actions. This study adopts a sequential exploratory mixed methods approach and focuses on the feedback of subsidiary managers to investigate the phenomenon. Initially, the qualitative study examined how and why subsidiary managers responded to headquarters’ instructions. Employing semi-structured opened-ended interviews, I asked subsidiary managers in Guyana to share their experiences with these instructions—instances of compliance and non-compliance. Forty-six percent (46%) of the experiences shared by subsidiary managers were non-compliant in nature but had honorable intentions and were influence by relaxed headquarters control, information asymmetry and a feeling of being constrained. Using the findings of this research, I developed a model which I sought to validate using a cross-sectional quantitative method. This research was extended to subsidiary managers of English-speaking countries which were part of the British Empire. I found that independent subsidiary initiatives (an example of constructive deviance) were positively and directly impacted by information asymmetry while autonomy mediated its positive relationship with past business performance. After reviewing the results of this research, I reconfigured the model to include a cognitive factor. This reconfigured model formed the basis of the third study. I found this cognitive construct had both a significant direct and indirect effect on independent subsidiary initiatives. Surprisingly, intrinsic motivation did not have a significant effect on the dependent variable which is contrary to the literature. My findings contribute to understanding of the underlying mechanism impacting constructive deviance. On a practical level, it alerts headquarters management that all deviant behavior is not destructive, and that deviant behavior may be an indication that instructions may have outlived their usefulness and warrants change management. Three meta-inferences can be discerned from my research program: (a) the value of information, which explains why subsidiary managers in possession of superior context specific information will act constructively deviant; (b) the effects of success, which on one hand increases subsidiary managers mastery and self-confidence and on the other reduces headquarters surveillance thus increasing the likelihood of honorable non-compliance; and (c) the effects of control, which demonstrates high level of control can ensure compliance on one hand but also instigate non-compliance on the other because of a feeling of restraint.
Kalle Lyytinen (Committee Chair)
Richard Boland (Committee Member)
Florian Becker-Ritterspach (Committee Chair)
Adrian Wolfberg (Committee Member)
175 p.

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Citations

  • Fraser, A. M. (2018). A MIXED METHOD STUDY OF WHAT INFLUENCES SUBSIDIARY MANAGERS’ COMPLIANCE WITH HEADQUARTERS INSTRUCTIONS [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1522685464965911

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Fraser, Arron. A MIXED METHOD STUDY OF WHAT INFLUENCES SUBSIDIARY MANAGERS’ COMPLIANCE WITH HEADQUARTERS INSTRUCTIONS. 2018. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1522685464965911.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Fraser, Arron. "A MIXED METHOD STUDY OF WHAT INFLUENCES SUBSIDIARY MANAGERS’ COMPLIANCE WITH HEADQUARTERS INSTRUCTIONS." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1522685464965911

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)