Doctoral thesis: Power and political interactions influence the activities of multinational corporations

In his thesis "Micro-political perspectives on multinational corporations: Legitimation, stereotyping and recontextualization" Alexei Koveshnikov has examined the micro-level power and political relations and interaction between actors in multinational corporations - what he calls 'micro-politics' - and their organisational implications. Koveshnikov's thesis focuses on the actual key actors and their interaction within multinational corporations that determine how these organisations operate and develop both on a day-to-day basis and in the long run.

"These power and interests-laden relations are central and fundamental for determining how any organisation, especially multinationals, works. The international aspect present in multinationals makes these interactions even more interesting as they get entangled in various historical, socio-political and economic relations between countries and nations", states Alexei Koveshnikov.

"As a consequence, context becomes much more important and relevant. Yet this type of micro-political view on multinationals so far has largely been ignored by international business scholars" Koveshnikov continues.

According to Koveshnikov gaining insight into micro-political relations and interaction between organisational actors in multinationals is paramount for our understanding of the mechanisms through which power and authority are distributed and contested, and for how specific decisions, activities and practices are justified, accepted or resisted. In addition, these relations are pertinent to a wide range of vital organisational processes, such as the promotion of subsidiary initiatives, delegation of authority and responsibility, knowledge transfer, strategic decision-making, and formation of trust between actors and units in the multinational.

Alexei Koveshnikov's thesis shows how actors in multinationals engage in three types of micro-political struggles, which revolve around (a) ownership claims for critical and finite resources, (b) the supremacy and the legitimacy of individual and collective interests, and (c) the superiority or inferiority of specific managerial subject positions. Koveshnikov shows that these struggles are largely pursued via three forms of micro-political strategies that the actors use: legitimation, stereotyping and recontextualisation. His findings provide a nuanced, contextualised, and actor-focused sociological understanding of power and political interactions among actors in multinationals.

MSc. (Econ.) Alexei Koveshnikov defends his doctoral thesis in Management and Organisation "Micro-political perspectives on multinational corporations: Legitimation, stereotyping and recontextualization" on Friday 15 August 2014.

Time: 15 August 2014, at 13
Place: Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki, room 411
Opponent: Professor Juha Laurila, University of Turku, Turku
Custos: Professor Eero Vaara, Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki

For more information, please contact:
Alexei Koveshnikov
Alexei.koveshnikov@hanken.fi Opens in new window
+358 40 8655894

A copy of the thesis can be downloaded here Opens in new window .