From international experience to global mindset: The contingent role of organizational context

Abstract

Global mindset is widely recognized as essential for navigating cultural diversity and strategic complexity in multinational enterprises (MNEs). While prior research has identified individual factors influencing its development, less is known about how individual and organizational factors jointly contribute to the development of global mindset. Drawing on social learning theory, we argue that international work experience fosters global mindset by exposing individuals to cross-cultural contradictions and triggering learning cycles of observation, retention, and reproduction. We further contend that organizational context influences how effectively global mindset gained through international work experience is reinforced upon return. Specifically, this study examines the moderating roles of two organizational factors: geocentric staffing policies and transnational corporate strategy. Using data from 1049 employees and 183 senior managers across 36 MNEs in South Korea, our multilevel analysis reveals that international work experience significantly predicts global mindset. Moreover, geocentric staffing policies strengthen this relationship, whereas transnational corporate strategy does not. These findings advance global mindset research by integrating individual and organizational perspectives and highlighting staffing policies as key contextual conditions.