“Your forward is our reverse, your right, our wrong”: rethinking multinational planning processes in light of national culture

Planning processes are potentially important governance mechanisms in multinational enterprises (MNEs). However, the complex multi-level and multi-cultural nature of these organizations may result in compatibility or clashes of culture between the various units of the MNE with respect to planning processes. In this theory building paper we develop a model that outlines how national culture will affect planning processes at both home and host country levels. This framework is applied to show how different planning outcomes may emerge due to these cultural differences. Finally, aspects of language, nontraditional structures, implications and limitations of the model are also discussed.