The Role of the Middle Manager in the Strategy Development Process of the Multinational Subsidiary

As multinational corporations (MNC) strive for long term competitiveness in complex business environments the Strategic Development Process has emerged as a potential source of competitive advantage (Grant, 2003). Despite this recognition there is limited knowledge of the strategy development process and the contributors to strategy development at the subsidiary level of the MNC. The essence of strategy development is contributing to competitive advantage through management activities (Papadakis et al, 1998), but much of the focus of research up to this point has been on the strategic relationship between subsidiary top management and corporate headquarters with little attention being paid to the internal processes of the multinational subsidiary (Bouquet and Birkinshaw, 2008). This paper contributes to theory development by investigating the role of the subsidiary middle manager in the strategic development processes of the Multinational subsidiary.