Which staffing orientation focuses on hiring host country nationals for local subsidiaries and expatriates for headquarters?

Which staffing orientation focuses on hiring host country nationals for local subsidiaries and expatriates for headquarters?

• A. ethnocentric staffing orientation
• B. geocentric staffing orientation
• C. polycentric staffing orientation
• D. global staffing orientation

Answer: (C)

Staffing orientations describe how a multinational assigns managers across borders. In the polycentric approach, local subsidiaries are staffed mainly with host country nationals who deeply understand the local market and culture, while expatriates from the home office are used at headquarters to maintain corporate control and ensure coordination with the parent company. This combination supports strong local adaptation at the subsidiary level while preserving leadership from the home country at corporate headquarters. Other models differ: ethnocentric relies on home-country nationals for key roles at both headquarters and subsidiaries, geocentric emphasizes the best talent from anywhere regardless of nationality, and global or integrated approaches focus on a worldwide staffing strategy rather than prioritizing locals at subsidiaries.

Staffing orientations describe how a multinational assigns managers across borders. In the polycentric approach, local subsidiaries are staffed mainly with host country nationals who deeply understand the local market and culture, while expatriates from the home office are used at headquarters to maintain corporate control and ensure coordination with the parent company. This combination supports strong local adaptation at the subsidiary level while preserving leadership from the home country at corporate headquarters.

Other models differ: ethnocentric relies on home-country nationals for key roles at both headquarters and subsidiaries, geocentric emphasizes the best talent from anywhere regardless of nationality, and global or integrated approaches focus on a worldwide staffing strategy rather than prioritizing locals at subsidiaries.