This study employs an inductive longitudinal case study approach to examine newcomer assimilation within a globally distributed organization over a two-year period. Focusing on 13 employees (interviewed 3-5 times over a period of time of 2 years) from a multinational technology corporation headquartered in Finland, we explore their integration into a newly formed Research and Development (R&D) department and global virtual teams. Our analysis reveals a gap between new hires’ and insiders’ expectations regarding the assimilation process in global organizations, offering insights into the power dynamics of distributed employee integration between the headquarter and the subsidiary, therefore we utilize Critical Cross-cultural management to interpret the findings.
