Realizing subsidiary initiatives: A network mobilization view

Subsidiaries draw on different networks to undertake entrepreneurial initiatives. While previous
literature has emphasized the subsidiary’s relational embeddedness as a key factor enabling
initiatives, we know much less about the selective network mobilizations of different groups of
actors. Our research takes a network mobilization view and uncovers the practices of network
mobilization and avoidance across initiative phases. Ten in-depth case studies of realized initiatives
reveal how subsidiaries activate multiple networks for different purposes, that networks
are ‘fluid’ across different phases, and that initiatives follow different pathways for local and
global impact. These insights extend the literature on subsidiary initiatives and shed light on
subsidiary initiative processes.