Does proactivity matter? the importance of initiative selling tactics for headquarters acceptance of subsidiary initiatives

By integrating literature on proactive behavior, in particular voice behavior theory, with the attention-based view of the firm, we examine how the use of a set of initiative selling tactics influences the acceptance of subsidiary initiatives by MNC headquarters. The findings suggest that the initiative selling tactics that matter most for the headquarters acceptance of subsidiary initiatives are related to proactive efforts such as the preparation and the packaging of the subsidiary initiative. The paper contributes to academia and practice by providing a richer understanding of proactive behavior among subsidiaries in terms of the “voice tactics” used to get their subsidiary initiatives recognized and accepted by headquarters. The study uses data from a questionnaire survey of 110 MNC subsidiaries and qualitative interview data.