Purpose

Large multinational companies (MNCs) are strongly formalized, often standardized and complex with multiple hierarchical levels. Over the past few decades, MNCs have strengthened their coordination and control systems by creating regional headquarters (RHQs). This study aims to investigate how MNCs rearticulate control dimensions at RHQs, to coordinate and exert control over subsidiaries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a survey of 86 French MNCs in the Asia-Pacific region, this study applies a structural equation model to determine RHQs’ roles in the field of regional decision-making, coordination and control.

Findings

Large MNCs, with a significant presence in Asia, transfer coordination and control to RHQs, in a way that leads us to propose the use of the expression “regio-centralization.” RHQs become socialization hubs, where most regional decisions are taken and where international managers meet. MNCs mobilize at the same time expatriates, short-term assignees and local managers who intensively interact at RHQs. Thus, informal control at RHQs increases, partly substituting formal control by HQs. Smaller MNCs, without RHQs, on the contrary, base their control and coordination on the formalization of HQs-subsidiary relations, especially through strong reporting, in combination with centralized decision-making at HQs.

Research limitations/implications

This study is based on MNCs from one specific country, France, and focuses only on the dynamic Asia-Pacific host region. Coordination and control in less dynamic regions may reveal different results.

Originality/value

This study leads to a better understanding of how large MNCs reorganize dispersed activities in the Asia-Pacific region by creating RHQs, where important control and coordination functions are relocated.

中文翻译：

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区域总部的桥梁作用。亚太地区的跨国公司

目的

大型跨国公司（MNC）高度正规化，经常标准化并且具有多个层次结构。在过去的几十年中，跨国公司通过建立地区总部（RHQ）来加强其协调和控制系统。这项研究旨在调查跨国公司如何重新调整RHQ的控制维度，以协调和控制亚太地区的子公司。

设计/方法/方法

基于对亚太地区86家法国跨国公司的调查，本研究采用结构方程模型确定RHQ在区域决策，协调和控制领域的作用。

发现

大型跨国公司在亚洲拥有重要的业务，因此将协调和控制权转移给了总部，从而促使我们提出使用“区域集中化”这一表述。RHQ成为社会化枢纽，是大多数地区决策和国际管理人员聚会的地方。跨国公司同时动员在总部和总部进行密切互动的外派人员，短期受让人和当地管理人员。因此，对总部的非正式控制有所增加，部分取代了总部的正式控制。相反，没有RHQ的较小的跨国公司，其控制和协调基于总部与子公司关系的形式化，特别是通过强有力的报告，以及总部的集中决策。

研究局限/意义

这项研究基于来自一个特定国家（法国）的跨国公司，并且仅关注动态亚太地区。在较不动态的区域进行协调和控制可能会显示不同的结果。

创意/价值

这项研究可以更好地了解大型跨国公司如何通过创建RHQ来重组亚太地区分散的活动，并在其中重新布置重要的控制和协调职能。