Unpacking the glocalization of organization: from term, to theory, to analysis

Abstract

Over the past two decades, the notion of 'glocalization' came to stand for more than what the term literally encompasses. Not only does it refer to the mutually constitutive character of the global and the local; rather, it spearheads the challenge to the numerous dichotomies that have dominated previous discussions of globalization, and points to the dualities of similarity and variation as well as universalism and particularism. In this short essay, we make an attempt to specify the dimensions of complexity and multidimensionality inherent in the notion of glocalization of organization and management. We propose three sets of analytic conceptualizations. First, we identify three axes of glocalization: vertical, horizontal, and temporal. Second, we extract three core themes of glocalization: the 'what', 'who', and 'how'. Last, we name several sequenced components of glocalization: abstraction, construction of equivalency, and adoption and adaptation. Laced together, these conceptualizations are the basis for description and analysis of glocalization. We argue that the important principle of such an analytic approach to the multidimensionality of glocalization is the intersection, or conjuncture, among these three sets of conceptualizations.

From Global to Local

“…The second is based on shared theorized identities between adopters and innovators (DiMaggio and Powell 1983). 8 Regardless of the bases for such emulation, scholars argue that transnational diffusion processes (sometimes referred to as "glocalization") involve several sequential steps (Drori et al 2014). First, certain innovator characteristics are identified by adopters as institutionally equivalent to their own and therefore "safe" for successful adoption.…”

Corporate Lawyers in Emerging Markets

“…The diffusion of the models and tendencies toward isomorphism are the focus of much attention, as are local variations and therefore the need to examine "glocalization" processes (e.g., Drori et al 2014). This literature takes for granted the hybridization of processes through global and local interactions, and it seeks therefore to specify the factors that create particular divergences and convergences.…”

The Presentation of Self as Good and Right: How Value Propositions and Business Model Features are Linked in the Sharing Economy

“…Research on the sharing economy in other cultural and economic settings (Hira 2017) suggests that categories vary across socioeconomic systems, but systematic comparisons of categories at the field level are still missing. It would be interesting to see to what extent observed categories are universal and which categories are local solutions (Drori et al 2014). Research on categories shows that the bundling of categories and societal values can be stable over a long time period but might change during other periods (e.g., Delmestri and Greenwood 2016).…”