Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore the development of organizational culture in multinational (MNC) subsidiaries in Malaysia. Three MNC subsidiaries were studied using the case study approach. In-depth interviews and secondary data served as the main sources of data for the study and thematic analysis was used to analyze these data. The main implication from the case findings is that the importance of organizational culture in the organization is being increasingly recognized. The three case studies showed that organizational culture had not only contributed to MNC subsidiary performance, but was the driver of organizational development. In light of this, MNC subsidiaries should recognize the importance of organizational culture in their organizations and use it to spur and drive organizational development and performance. The findings from the study are useful to both academicians and practitioners in the areas of strategic and international management. Since there is a similarity in the patterns of organizational culture in these three organizations, further research is needed to investigate the generalizability of these findings. Furthermore, the research could be further replicated for other types of multinational subsidiaries and other countries in South East Asia.