Nationalism and Contemporary Organizations: An Integrative Theoretical Framework and Agenda for Future Research

Nationalism impacts contemporary organizations in diverse ways that extend beyond global politics, international relations, or economics. Based on an integrative theoretical review of nationalism in management and organization research, we identify six approaches across three level of analysis. At the micro level, nationalism is reflected in individuals’ (1) cultural (dis)association with one or several nations and (2) identity construction and identity work. At the meso level, nationalism can be found in (3) intraorganizational practices and norms and in (4) interorganizational relations and strategies. At the macro level, nationalism can be seen as part of (5) economic policies and structures and of (6) political rhetoric and media discourses. On this basis, we develop an integrative theoretical framework that illuminates the multifaceted and dynamic nature of nationalism across levels of analysis. We also propose an agenda for future research that focuses on blank spots in prior research and zooms in on connections between different levels. This includes research on varieties and constructions of nationalism, new forms and implications of nationalism in global organizations, populism and mediatization of nationalism, and epistemological and ethico-political issues in studying nationalism and contemporary organizations.