Managing Foreign Subsidiaries Remotely: The Role of Culture in Techno-Stress Appraisal and Well-Being

Abstract

Multinational enterprises’ increased dependence on work-enabling technologies to manage global operations may contribute to foreign subsidiary employees’ techno-stress (i.e., stress from interacting with technology). However, techno-stress may have either a positive or negative effect on employee and customer engagement, depending on the employee's appraisal of the techno-stressors. Drawing on transactional stress theory, the authors provide a conceptual model and research propositions to introduce the concept of techno-stress to international marketing scholars. The authors explore the role of the information systems environment and culture in employees’ appraisal of techno-stressors and their ultimate effects on employees’ well-being and performance. These propositions aim to encourage research that provides a fuller context of the technology-related challenges that multinationals may face in building employee and customer engagement across their subsidiary networks.