Lateral collaboration across subsidiaries is beneficial for innovation in multinational corporations (MNCs), such as the creation of new organizational practices, because it helps working towards shared, rather than subsidiary-centric, objectives and creates new knowledge. To instill lateral collaboration, prior research has mainly focused on coordination mechanisms that rely on interpersonal exchanges among dispersed individuals across subsidiaries. However, due to rising concerns over coordination cost and sustainability of international travel, MNCs are increasingly challenged to search for other approaches that require less direct interpersonal interaction across subsidiaries. We, therefore, ask: How can MNCs elicit lateral collaboration during practice creation in a less space-time sensitive way? Drawing on a longitudinal case study, we develop a model of practice creation in MNCs. Our model offers two main insights. First, it details a novel approach for unleashing the benefits of lateral collaboration in globally-linked innovation processes in MNCs. In contrast to emphasizing coordination mechanisms that focus on interpersonal interactions across subsidiaries, our study contributes by detailing the emergence of lateral knowledge through a shared technological artefact as key enabler. Second, our model illuminates how MNCs can innovate new organizational practices that reflect both MNC and local subsidiary needs by adopting an improvisational approach.

子公司之间的横向协作有利于跨国公司 (MNC) 的创新，例如创建新的组织实践，因为它有助于实现共同的目标，而不是以子公司为中心的目标，并创造新知识。为了灌输横向协作，先前的研究主要集中在依赖于跨子公司分散的个人之间的人际交流的协调机制。然而，由于对国际旅行的协调成本和可持续性的担忧日益增加，跨国公司越来越难以寻找其他方法，以减少子公司之间的直接人际互动。因此，我们要问：跨国公司如何以对时空不那么敏感的方式在实践创造过程中引发横向合作？借鉴纵向案例研究，我们在跨国公司中开发了一种实践创造模式。我们的模型提供了两个主要见解。首先，它详细介绍了一种新方法，可在跨国公司的全球关联创新过程中释放横向协作的好处。与强调专注于子公司间人际互动的协调机制相比，我们的研究通过详细说明横向知识的出现，通过共享技术人工制品作为关键推动因素而有所贡献。其次，我们的模型阐明了跨国公司如何通过采用即兴的方法来创新反映跨国公司和当地子公司需求的新组织实践。与强调专注于子公司间人际互动的协调机制相比，我们的研究通过详细说明横向知识的出现，通过共享技术人工制品作为关键推动因素而有所贡献。其次，我们的模型阐明了跨国公司如何通过采用即兴的方法来创新反映跨国公司和当地子公司需求的新组织实践。与强调专注于子公司间人际互动的协调机制相比，我们的研究通过详细说明横向知识的出现，通过共享技术人工制品作为关键推动因素而有所贡献。其次，我们的模型阐明了跨国公司如何通过采用即兴的方法来创新反映跨国公司和当地子公司需求的新组织实践。