Abstract
Despite their rapid internationalization, early internationalizing firms (EIFs) struggle to sustain their growth over time. Among the factors influencing their internationalization process, the diversity of human resources, and particularly its management, has yet to be studied. Building on different perspectives of diversity management, through the lens of the resource-based view, this study explores the role of diversity management during EIFs’ internationalization process. The results of a multiple-case, qualitative study of French EIFs show that prevailing perspectives on diversity management within EIFs change with the nature of diversity as a resource (strategic, ordinary, or negative), with different influences on the firms’ progress along the phases of the internationalization process. The findings highlight the importance of adopting a learning perspective on managing diversity, including specific management practices, during the transition between the entry and post-entry phases of EIFs’ internationalization process. This study thus suggests several propositions and theoretical contributions, along with managerial recommendations.
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Notes
For example, the statement reflecting the resistance perspective read, “Diversity is neither a subject nor a problem”; that for the discrimination and fairness perspective read, “Your company protects some employees to ensure fair treatment”; the access and legitimacy perspective indicated, “Your company respects the differences of each employee”; and the learning perspective was, “The company values the diversity of employees and makes them a source of competitive advantage.”
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Final Coding Sheet
Categories | N° | Themes | Codes | Nature |
---|---|---|---|---|
Respondent | 1 | Academic background | REP-BACK-ACA | Deductive |
2 | Professional background | REP-BACK-PRO | Deductive | |
3 | Career within the firm | REP-ENT | Deductive | |
Firm | 4 | Turnover | ENT-TURN | Deductive |
5 | Turnover evolution | ENT-TURN-EVOL | Inductive | |
6 | Activities | ENT-ACT | Deductive | |
7 | Strategic objectives | ENT-STRAT-OBJ | Deductive | |
8 | Growth strategy | ENT-STRAT-GROWTH | Deductive | |
9 | Innovation | ENT-INNO | Deductive | |
10 | Organizational innovation | ENT-INNO-ORGA | Inductive | |
11 | Technological innovation | ENT-INNO-TECHNO | Inductive | |
12 | Potential support received | ENT-SUPPORT | Deductive | |
13 | Potential need in support | ENT-SUPPORT-NEED | Deductive | |
14 | Difficulties met by the firm | ENT-DIFF | Inductive | |
15 | Corporate social responsibility | ENT-CSR | Deductive | |
16 | Founders/entrepreneurs | ENT-ENTREPRENEURS | Inductive | |
Internationalization process | 17 | Reasons to internationalize | INTER-REASONS | Deductive |
18 | Key dates | INTER-KEYDATES | Deductive | |
19 | Penetrated market | INTER-COUNTRIES | Deductive | |
20 | Mode of entry | INTER-MODE | Deductive | |
21 | Devoted resources | INTER-RESOURCES | Deductive | |
22 | Missing resources | INTER-RESOURCES-LACK | Inductive | |
23 | Striking event | INTER-EVENT | Deductive | |
24 | International turnover | INTER-CA | Deductive | |
25 | Data on phase 1 | INTER-PHASE 1 | Deductive | |
26 | Data on phase 2 | INTER-PHASE 2 | Deductive | |
27 | Data on phase 3 | INTER-PHASE 3 | Deductive | |
28 | Data on phase 4 | INTER-PHASE 4 | Deductive | |
29 | Foreign Subsidiaries | INTER-SUBSIDIARIES | Deductive | |
30 | Difficulties when internationalizing | INTER-DIFFICULTIES | Inductive | |
Diversity | 31 | Number of employees | DIV-NB-EMP | Deductive |
32 | Age diversity | DIV-AGE | Deductive | |
33 | Cultural and national origin diversity | DIV-ORIGIN | Deductive | |
34 | Knowledge diversity | DIV-KNOWLEDGE | Deductive | |
35 | Language diversity | DIV-LANG | Inductive | |
36 | Diversity of experience | DIV-EXPERIENCE | Deductive | |
37 | Gender diversity | DIV-GENDER | Deductive | |
38 | Reasons for the presence or absence of diversity | DIV-REASONS | Deductive | |
39 | Evolution of diversity | DIV-EVOL | Inductive | |
40 | Negative role | DIV-ROLE− | Deductive | |
41 | Positive role | DIV-ROLE+ | Deductive | |
42 | Lack of diversity | DIV-LACK | Inductive | |
Diversity management | 43 | Diversity management practices | MANADIV-PRACTICES | Deductive |
44 | Diversity management practices that could be implemented | MANADIV-PRACTICES-FUTURE | Inductive | |
45 | 1- Resistance | MANADIV-1 | Deductive | |
46 | 2- Discrimination and fairness | MANADIV-2 | Deductive | |
47 | 3- Access and legitimacy | MANADIV-3 | Deductive | |
48 | 4- Learning | MANADIV-4 | Deductive | |
Relationship between concepts | 49 | Positive influence of diversity on internationalization | DIV→INTER=+ | Deductive |
50 | Negative influence of diversity on internationalization | DIV→INTER=− | Deductive | |
51 | Influence of diversity on innovation | DIV→INNO | Inductive | |
52 | Influence of innovation on internationalization | INNO→INTER | Inductive | |
53 | Influence of internationalization on innovation | INTER→INNO | Inductive |
Appendix 2: Internationalization Processes of the Eight EIFs
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Breuillot, A. Exploring the Role of Diversity Management During Early Internationalizing Firms’ Internationalization Process. Manag Int Rev 61, 125–156 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-021-00440-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-021-00440-3