This talk is presented in partnership with the Centre for Global Workforce Strategy.

Abstract
While the role of social networks in organizations has received considerable attention, researchers have paid less attention to how national culture and institutional differences across countries influence network mechanisms. To help fill this gap, we examine how a host country’s national cultural and institutional contexts influence the relationship between an individual’s social network (ties and position) and creativity in a multinational organization. Using hierarchical linear modeling, a test of hypotheses is conducted based on unique sociocentric data from one multinational organization of 1698 individuals (1436 respondents) in 28 subsidiaries across 17 countries around the world. Results suggest that national culture (individualism-collectivism) and institutional context (regulative institutions) significantly impact this relationship. Our findings call into question the feasibility to generalize social network theories across different macro-contexts.

Dr Carl F Fey is a Professor of International Business at Aalto University School of Business in Helsinki, Finland. Until October 2015 he served as Dean of Nottingham University Business School China, the Director of Executive Education and a Chaired Professor of International Business. Under Fey’s leadership NUBS China placed a focus on quality education and research focusing around the three Is of International, Innovative, and Interactive and grew to have about 2500 students and a faculty of 90 coming from 28 countries around the world (Fey hired over 55 long-term faculty and over 20 full-time visiting faculty during his 4.5 year deanship). Prior to joining Nottingham University Business School China he was a Professor at Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden where among other responsibilities he helped the school start and develop a branch campus in Russia which became a leader in business education in Russia for executive education and EMBA programs on which the school focused. Dr Fey obtained his PhD at the University of Western Ontario’s Richard Ivey School of Business in Canada.

Most of Dr Fey’s research focuses on understanding how cultural and institutional differences between countries require adaption of management theory and practice for success in the transforming economies of China and Russia. More specifically, Dr Fey’s research focuses on international aspects organizational culture and effectiveness, leadership, strategic human resource management, foreign market entry, mergers and acquisitions, and knowledge transfer. Dr Fey has published over 45 articles in various academic journals including the Journal of International Business Studies, Strategic Management Journal, and Organization Science. Fey has also published articles in many managerially-oriented outlets such as the Wall Street Journal. He received 2013 Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) Decade Award for the paper Minbaeva, D., Pedersen, T., Björkman, I., Fey, C. F., & Park, H. J. 2003. MNC knowledge transfer, subsidiary absorptive capacity and HRM. Fey is a sought-after teacher (focusing on International Business, international management, Leadership, and Organizational Behavior) who is especially experienced in selling, designing, directing, and delivering executive education programs.