When multinational companies roll out global IT strategies, those plans rarely survive contact with local offices unchanged. A new study reveals that to understand why digital transformations morph across borders, leaders must look beyond systems and focus heavily on everyday cultural habits.
Published in the Qualitative Research Journal, the research by Dr Godfried B. Adaba of the University of East London introduces a new framework for analysing how technology, organisations, and culture interact in the real world.
To demonstrate the approach, Dr. Adaba applied his framework to multinational telecom subsidiaries operating in Ghana. Through interviews, document analysis, and observation, he discovered that strategic alignment is heavily shaped by local attitudes toward hierarchy, communication styles, and employees’ comfort in challenging authority.
The reality of ‘hybrid alignment’
The study found that when corporate headquarters issues a global IT directive, local teams frequently adapt it to make it workable on the ground. The research dubs this phenomenon “hybrid alignment” — a negotiated blend of global direction and local, cultural practice.
“The primary aim of this paper is to strengthen how we study complex digital change,” Dr. Adaba explained. “By applying a structured grounded theory approach, I was able to show that strategic alignment is not simply implemented. It is interpreted and negotiated within cultural contexts. The impact of this research is that it helps leaders understand how digital transformation really unfolds.”
Lessons for global leaders
While the paper focuses heavily on research methodology, it outlines critical, practical implications for organisations managing digital transformations across borders:
- Ditch the one-size-fits-all approach: A rigid global strategy is highly unlikely to work everywhere. Leaders must allow room for local adaptation while keeping the overarching direction clear to achieve workable outcomes.
- Account for cultural hierarchy: Decision-making structures must respect local customs. In regions where hierarchy is strict and employees hesitate to speak up, leaders must proactively design alternative ways to gather honest feedback and make decisions.
- Watch for silent drift: If managers ignore local communication styles, projects can easily fail quietly. “In some settings, people may stay silent rather than question a senior manager,” Dr. Adaba warned. “If that dynamic is ignored, problems [with] alignment may drift without anyone realising.”
