Interunit Communication in Multinational Corporations
基于松下和飞利浦两家公司164位和84位高管的调查数据，发现子公司自主权对跨单元沟通无显著影响，而通过团队、任务组和会议建立的横向人际网络能显著促进子公司与总部及子公司间的沟通频率。
In this paper we investigate some of the organizational factors that influence subsidiary-headquarters and intersubsidiary communication in multinational companies. Our study is based on data collected from 164 senior managers working in 14 different national subsidiaries within the consumer electronics division of Matsushita, a Japanese company, and 84 senior managers working in nine different national subsidiaries within the same business of N.V. Philips, the Holland-based competitor of Matsushita. We show that while subsidiary autonomy has no discernable influence on interunit communication, interpersonal relationships developed through lateral networking mechanisms such as joint work in teams, taskforces, and meetings have significant positive effects on the frequency of both subsidiary-headquarters and intersubsidiary communication. The findings are consistent in the two companies, one Japanese and the other European, and the underlying theoretical propositions appear applicable across borders.