Realizing subsidiary initiatives: A network mobilization view

Abstract

Subsidiaries draw on different networks to undertake entrepreneurial initiatives. While previous literature has emphasized the subsidiary's relational embeddedness as a key factor enabling initiatives, we know much less about the selective network mobilizations of different groups of actors. Our research takes a network mobilization view and uncovers the practices of network mobilization and avoidance across initiative phases. Ten in-depth case studies of realized initiatives reveal how subsidiaries activate multiple networks for different purposes, that networks are ‘fluid’ across different phases, and that initiatives follow different pathways for local and global impact. These insights extend the literature on subsidiary initiatives and shed light on subsidiary initiative processes.