The Janus Faces of IHRM in Russian MNEs

Abstract

This article analyzes variations in the international human resource management (IHRM) approaches of Russian multinational enterprises (MNEs) in the contexts of developed and developing countries. The data were gathered through interviews conducted at the headquarters of Russian MNEs and at their subsidiaries in developed and developing countries. The results indicate that Russian MNEs adopt HRM practices of Western origin. However, these MNEs differ radically in their choices of IHRM approaches. Many of these differences depend on the countries these MNEs target in their international expansion. In developing countries that belong to Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS, regional block of countries that were former Soviet republics), the IHRM approaches adopted by Russian MNEs typically reflect a feeling of superiority. However, in developed countries and in non‐CIS developing countries, Russian MNEs actively promote a mix of global best practices and local HRM practices. We do not find any instances of the reverse transfer of management practices from subsidiaries in developed countries to the MNEs’ headquarters or any examples of cross‐pollination among subsidiaries. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.