Organizational Staffing Policy and Organizational Identification of Host Country Nationals Working at MNC Subsidiary in Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between organizational staffing policies and the organizational identification of host country nationals (HCNs) working at multinational corporation (MNC) subsidiaries in Korea. Based on the existing literature and the theories of social identity and self-categorization, we hypothesized that the organizational identification of HCNs is higher under a polycentric staffing policy than under an ethnocentric staffing policy. To test this hypothesis, a two-independent samples t-test was conducted on data collected from 483 HCNs employed by 53 MNC subsidiaries across 24 countries. The results showed that HCNs exhibited higher organizational identification under a polycentric staffing policy compared to an ethnocentric policy. This paper discusses the theoretical and managerial implications of these findings and suggests directions for future research.