Multinational corporations, characterized by multiple dualities such as global integration versus local responsiveness, grapple with a critical duality when managing their human resources: balancing a calculative orientation with a more humanistic approach. This duality is reflected in the discussion within the HRM field between the calculative (or hard) model and the collaborative (or soft) model. Previous research highlights significant variation in the adoption of these models across countries, with Nordic countries favoring the collaborative HRM model. However, it remains unclear how this model unfolds in the foreign subsidiaries of Nordic multinationals, especially from the employees’ perspectives. This paper addresses this gap by investigating the experiences and emotional responses of R&D engineers in the Chinese and Indian R&D units of a Finnish multinational. The findings highlight three contradictions experienced by subsidiary employees during the implementation of the collaborative HRM model: 1) being viewed as core assets versus mere human resources; 2) the principle of equal opportunity versus the reality of managerial bias/favoritism; 3) the promise of empowerment versus the reality of managerial authority. As a result, they faced a range of negative emotions, from cynicism and disengagement to frustration and desperation, which can severely impact their overall emotional well-being and job satisfaction. This study underscores the importance of addressing these contradictions to create a supportive and productive work environment that benefits employees and the organization.
