Chapter 9
The three classic international division structures the chapter lists first
Functional, Geographic, Product
The acculturation strategy where immigrants abandon their heritage culture and fully adopt the host culture
Assimilation/separation
Cultures high on this dimension prefer clear rules and formalized coordination mechanisms
Uncertainty avoidance
Mintzberg’s part of the organisation that actually produces the products and services
Operating core
Most firms begin their internationalisation with this structure
International division
According to the editorial, immigrants experience big changes in these two things when they move to a new country
Identity and status
cultures that score high on this dimension tend to create organisational structures with many layers, formal rules, and decisions made only at the top – while low-scoring cultures prefer fewer layers and more delegation to lower levels.
Power Distance
The article argues that immigrants’ unique knowledge is frequently this
Underutilised
According to the chapter, high power-distance cultures prefer this type of organizational structure
Tall hierarchies / centralized decision-making
The editorial says immigrants usually end up lower in this compared to where they were in their home country
Social status (or status hierarchy)
According to Chapter 9, collectivist cultures are more comfortable with this type of coordination in MNCs
Personal / clan control
Configuration that relies on the standardization of skills … highly trained professionals
Professional Bureaucracy
The constant feeling the authors say immigrants live with because of identity change and lower status
Insecurity
The dimension that makes matrix structures extremely stressful in some countries
Power distance (high PD hates dual reporting)
Harrison et al. found that immigrants who experience high identity strain often engage in this behavior at work
Withdrawal / disengagement
According to Chapter 9, this Mintzberg configuration is characterized by "experts from different specialties formed into project teams, organic structure with little formalization, coordination by mutual adjustment" and it's the only one that thrives in highly innovative, non-routine global R&D settings.
Adhocracy
The two unique individual contributions the editorial highlights that immigrant employees can bring to organisations
Creativity and voice
The cultural dimension Chapter 9 explicitly says makes virtual teams especially difficult when members come from opposite ends of it
High-context vs. low-context communication