Multiculturals – individuals with notable cultural knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) – are widely assumed to contribute to MNE performance leading, ultimately, to global competitive advantages. We nuance this general belief by arguing that what matters for an MNE’s competitive advantage is not the employment of multiculturals per se, but rather the MNE’s ability to transform multiculturals’ KSAOs into strategic human capital resources by creating complementarities between KSAOs and emergence-enabling factors. Using a 12-month in-depth ethnographic study over the span of two years in two MNEs, we identified five emergence-enabling factors that enable the transformation of multiculturals’ KSAOs into human capital resources and strategic human capital resources: (1) a global mindset, (2) a differentiated HR architecture, (3) the language policy and practices, (4) team diversity, and (5) multicultural team leadership. We suggested that a global mindset and differentiated HR architecture are emergence-enabling factors that enable the transformation of KSAOs into unit-level strategic human capital resources that are relevant for competitive advantage, while team diversity and multicultural team leadership are emergence-enabling factors that enable the transformation of KSAOs into unit-level human capital resources relevant for performance parity. Finally, the language policy and practices were relevant for both processes.

多元文化——具有显着文化知识、技能、能力和其他特征 (KSAO) 的个人——被广泛认为有助于跨国企业的绩效，最终导致全球竞争优势。我们认为，对于跨国企业的竞争优势而言，重要的不是多元文化本身的就业，而是跨国企业通过在 KSAO 和新兴促成因素之间创造互补性，将多元文化的 KSAO 转化为战略人力资本资源的能力，从而对这一普遍信念进行细微差别。通过对两家跨国企业进行为期两年的为期 12 个月的深入民族志研究，我们确定了使多元文化的 KSAO 转变为人力资本资源和战略人力资本资源的五个促进因素：(1)心态，（2）差异化的人力资源架构，(3) 语言政策和实践，(4) 团队多样性，以及 (5) 多元文化的团队领导。我们认为，全球思维和差异化的 HR 架构是促成 KSAO 转变为与竞争优势相关的单位级战略人力资本资源的促成因素，而团队多样性和多元文化团队领导力则是促成促成因素将 KSAO 转变为与绩效均等相关的单位级人力资本资源。最后，语言政策和实践与这两个过程都相关。我们认为，全球思维和差异化的 HR 架构是促成 KSAO 转变为与竞争优势相关的单位级战略人力资本资源的促成因素，而团队多样性和多元文化团队领导力是促成促成因素将 KSAO 转变为与绩效均等相关的单位级人力资本资源。最后，语言政策和实践与这两个过程都相关。我们认为，全球思维和差异化的 HR 架构是促成 KSAO 转变为与竞争优势相关的单位级战略人力资本资源的促成因素，而团队多样性和多元文化团队领导力则是促成促成因素将 KSAO 转变为与绩效均等相关的单位级人力资本资源。最后，语言政策和实践与这两个过程都相关。