Identity in global organizations from a pragmatist practice perspective: moving beyond national culture

Abstract

In contrast to critical international business (IB) studies’ sole focus on national cultural identity, this study explores multiple identity construction in a global organization in relation to its everyday activities. Drawing on a pragmatist practice approach, we study how identity constructions of actors in the head office and country offices stand in a mutually constitutive relation with their transactional engagements. Our findings highlight how transactions that are key organizational activities trigger both contrasting identity constructions and reflections on the organizational identity. Our study advances our understanding of identity in global organizations by highlighting the multiplicity of non-national culture bound identities and its dispersed power implications. It more broadly contributes to IB by re-conceptualizing the global organization more dynamically as “a power-laden practice’.