Title: Are we there yet?: A microfoundational examination of motivation during early international expansion

Authors: Laura T. Madden; Timothy M. Madden; Anne D. Smith

Addresses: East Carolina University, 3108 Bate Building, Greenville, NC 27858, USA ' East Carolina University, 3111 Bate Building, Greenville, NC 27858, USA ' University of Tennessee – Knoxville, 409 Stokely Management Center, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA

Abstract: Although internationalisation offers organisation-level benefits, the activities that lead to them happen at the interactional level, which is itself influenced by individual-level factors. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to develop a process model of micro-level behaviours that influence macro-level organisational outcomes related to early internationalisation activities. To this end, the microfoundations perspective is a valuable tool to explore the crucial multilevel influences on value creation throughout the process. Goal framing theory further explains the importance of individual identification and joint production motivation that ultimately generate firm-level value. We find additional evidence of international attention as a conditional factor through a qualitative case study of three telecommunications firms engaged in early international expansion. Our resulting process model of the initiating conditions, implementation, and outcomes of early international expansion has implications for strategy researchers and practicing managers alike.

Keywords: microfoundations; leadership cues; joint production; internationalisation; goal framing; qualitative; case study; process.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMCS.2025.146191

International Journal of Multinational Corporation Strategy, 2025 Vol.4 No.1, pp.1 - 26

Received: 10 Mar 2022
Accepted: 06 Jul 2022
Published online: 12 May 2025 *

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