THE ROLE OF CORPORATE CULTURE IN EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AT PHARMACEUTICAL CORPORATIONS IN VIETNAM

Purpose: This research examines the effect of organizational culture on employee engagement in the fast-growing pharmaceutical sector in Vietnam, where recruitment and retention of talented staff become an increasingly critical concern for strategic change. Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight employees from large pharmaceutical companies in Hanoi, using convenience and snowball sampling for recruitment, and thematic analysis was used to identify cultural practices that promote or inhibit engagement. Findings: A positive work environment that ensures flexibility, ongoing discussion, mentoring and well-being, teams and cooperation is essential in keeping employees motivated, committed and efficient. But employees are not fully persuaded about its potential impact and find it hard to fully connect with their organizations based on cultural or structural barriers. Moreover, the real intent behind a focus on supportive corporate culture, should not be just to make employees happy, but is instead proven to contribute to long term business goals. Originality: This study provides insights on the employee-level perspectives on the culture-engagement link in Vietnam’s emerging pharmaceutical industry, contributing to the largely Western-centric literature. Its insights provide practical guidance for local managers and establish a qualitative basis for broader future inquiries.