The Synergy between Humans & AI in Multinational Enterprises : A Cross-Cultural Investigation of How Multinational Enterprises Balance Human-AI Complementarity in Globally Diverse Markets

Sammanfattning

Artificial intelligence (AI) utilization in multinational enterprises (MNEs) has moved from isolated pilots to strategic, firm-wide initiatives. Yet, 1% of companies describe themselves as “AI-mature,” and most struggle to fit AI systems to culturally diverse workforces. Extant research emphasizes technical adoption and generic governance, implicitly assuming cultural homogeneity. This study explores how MNEs balance human-AI complementarity across culturally diverse markets and identifies organizational capabilities, cultural factors, and governance mechanisms that enable that balance. An interpretive, abductive, multiple-case design was used, consisting of 15 semi-structured interviews with participants representing firms of varying levels of AI maturity. The interviewees were grouped into three sectors: (1) Financial Services & Consulting, (2) Technology & Digital Services, and (3) Energy, Manufacturing & Sustainability. Cultural factors shape every stage of AI usage. Power-distance norms affect the “human-in-the-loop” authority splits, while local attitudes toward uncertainty determine trust thresholds for AI output. Organizational-level enablers include digital upskilling programmes, utilizing AI enthusiasts in the firm, and modular data architectures. Governance spectrum: from minimalist, principle-based guidelines to fully fledged global frameworks that voluntarily adopt forthcoming EU regulations firm-wide. Universal baselines, rather than strict localization, often prevailed in high-risk industries. The study proposes an integrative framework that links our four capability domains, culture, organization, governance and outcomes, to stages of AI evolution. The framework extends human-AI complementarity theory by embedding cross-cultural variables and offers managers a roadmap for maintaining effective human-AI complementarity within multinational contexts.