Pub Date : 2021-09-10DOI: 10.1108/jgm-02-2021-0011
Theresa Bernhard, Dirk Holtbrügge
PurposeInternational assignments rely on interactions between host country nationals (HCNs) and an international assignee (IA). These interactions are significantly determined by the reputation that the IA holds among HCNs. However, reputation has only scarcely been addressed in extant mobility research, and there is a lack of understanding about how the reputation of an IA shifts among HCNs during the course of an assignment. The purpose of this paper is to understand the development of an individual's reputation as well as the interactions between an IA and HCNs in the context of international assignments.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper that builds upon the central idea in extant research of individual reputation as a social construction and draws on sensemaking theory to develop its conceptual model.FindingsAs extant research argues for both a temporal and dynamic dimension of reputation, the authors introduce time and reputational richness as central model elements. Furthermore, the conceptual model proposes reputational events as the principal triggers for reputational shifts. Reputational events reveal quantitatively and qualitatively new informational cues about the IA to HCNs, who then use these cues to incrementally construct the IA's reputation in sensemaking processes. In addition, contextual factors of reputational shifts, namely accelerators and amplifiers, are discussed. The authors argue that these contextual factors may affect both the timing and the strength of reputational shifts.Originality/valueThe study introduces a novel conceptual model and contributes to the understanding of individual reputation development as well as the interactions between an IA and HCNs in international assignments.
{"title":"When the Chinese guy becomes the female IT specialist Liu – a conceptualization of reputational shifts in international assignments","authors":"Theresa Bernhard, Dirk Holtbrügge","doi":"10.1108/jgm-02-2021-0011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-02-2021-0011","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeInternational assignments rely on interactions between host country nationals (HCNs) and an international assignee (IA). These interactions are significantly determined by the reputation that the IA holds among HCNs. However, reputation has only scarcely been addressed in extant mobility research, and there is a lack of understanding about how the reputation of an IA shifts among HCNs during the course of an assignment. The purpose of this paper is to understand the development of an individual's reputation as well as the interactions between an IA and HCNs in the context of international assignments.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper that builds upon the central idea in extant research of individual reputation as a social construction and draws on sensemaking theory to develop its conceptual model.FindingsAs extant research argues for both a temporal and dynamic dimension of reputation, the authors introduce time and reputational richness as central model elements. Furthermore, the conceptual model proposes reputational events as the principal triggers for reputational shifts. Reputational events reveal quantitatively and qualitatively new informational cues about the IA to HCNs, who then use these cues to incrementally construct the IA's reputation in sensemaking processes. In addition, contextual factors of reputational shifts, namely accelerators and amplifiers, are discussed. The authors argue that these contextual factors may affect both the timing and the strength of reputational shifts.Originality/valueThe study introduces a novel conceptual model and contributes to the understanding of individual reputation development as well as the interactions between an IA and HCNs in international assignments.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2021-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82888608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-03DOI: 10.1108/jgm-01-2021-0009
Sophia Grill, M. Rosenbaum-Feldbrügge, H. Fliege, H. Rüger
PurposeDrawing on social learning theory (SLT), this study aims to investigate how previous cross-cultural work experience influences individual adjustment in a foreign environment over time. For this purpose, the authors study foreign service employees who are characterized by permanent high mobility and frequent rotations.Design/methodology/approachTwo cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2011 (analytical sample N = 1,097) and 2019 (analytical sample N = 1,431) amongst German Foreign Service (GFS) employees are used to analyse employees' adjustment, measured by self-perceived quality of life (QOL) and its development over time based on four time points. Locational adjustment trajectories serve as robustness checks.FindingsYounger and therefore less experienced employees fit J-shaped patterns of adjustment, while more experienced employees show rather flat adjustment curves. Accordingly, work experience matters and “one curve fits all” approaches do not suffice to explain adjustment over time. Moreover, neither more nor less experienced employees experienced U-trajectories as proposed by previous literature on business expatriates.Research limitations/implicationsThe study findings are based on cross-sectional surveys, but longitudinal designs should be preferred in future research.Practical implicationsSending institutions may develop special support systems for inexperienced expatriates prior to departure to weaken the negative impacts of culture shock.Originality/valueExisting literature only sparsely analysed adjustment and QOL for foreign service employees/diplomats so far. To the authors’ knowledge, no study analysed trajectories of adjustment over time for this population. This study profits from the analysis across two surveys. Both samples benefit from a high diversity, among others, regarding gender, age, education and host countries.
{"title":"Expatriate adjustment over time among foreign service employees: the role of cross-cultural experience","authors":"Sophia Grill, M. Rosenbaum-Feldbrügge, H. Fliege, H. Rüger","doi":"10.1108/jgm-01-2021-0009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-01-2021-0009","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeDrawing on social learning theory (SLT), this study aims to investigate how previous cross-cultural work experience influences individual adjustment in a foreign environment over time. For this purpose, the authors study foreign service employees who are characterized by permanent high mobility and frequent rotations.Design/methodology/approachTwo cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2011 (analytical sample N = 1,097) and 2019 (analytical sample N = 1,431) amongst German Foreign Service (GFS) employees are used to analyse employees' adjustment, measured by self-perceived quality of life (QOL) and its development over time based on four time points. Locational adjustment trajectories serve as robustness checks.FindingsYounger and therefore less experienced employees fit J-shaped patterns of adjustment, while more experienced employees show rather flat adjustment curves. Accordingly, work experience matters and “one curve fits all” approaches do not suffice to explain adjustment over time. Moreover, neither more nor less experienced employees experienced U-trajectories as proposed by previous literature on business expatriates.Research limitations/implicationsThe study findings are based on cross-sectional surveys, but longitudinal designs should be preferred in future research.Practical implicationsSending institutions may develop special support systems for inexperienced expatriates prior to departure to weaken the negative impacts of culture shock.Originality/valueExisting literature only sparsely analysed adjustment and QOL for foreign service employees/diplomats so far. To the authors’ knowledge, no study analysed trajectories of adjustment over time for this population. This study profits from the analysis across two surveys. Both samples benefit from a high diversity, among others, regarding gender, age, education and host countries.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2021-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81951491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-26DOI: 10.1108/jgm-02-2021-0017
Marketa Rickley
PurposeThis study presents a conceptual model of knowledge sharing in global organizations, examining the facilitating role of international experience through cognitive, relational and structural social capital perspectives.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper that applies multilevel thinking to the issue of knowledge sharing in global environments.FindingsThe presented conceptual model contributes to our understanding of the microfoundational role of international experience in facilitating knowledge sharing in global organizations by integrating individual, dyadic and group perspectives.Practical implicationsManagerial implications are discussed for how to strengthen individuals' propensities for knowledge sharing from international experience through strategic hiring, employee development, succession planning and expatriate mobility.Originality/valueThe presented framework explicitly considers the implications of individual heterogeneity in international experience for differences in organizational knowledge sharing capabilities, thereby contributing to the search for microfoundations of competitive advantage in global organizations.
{"title":"How composition and compilation of international experience in groups influences knowledge sharing: a theoretical model","authors":"Marketa Rickley","doi":"10.1108/jgm-02-2021-0017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-02-2021-0017","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis study presents a conceptual model of knowledge sharing in global organizations, examining the facilitating role of international experience through cognitive, relational and structural social capital perspectives.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper that applies multilevel thinking to the issue of knowledge sharing in global environments.FindingsThe presented conceptual model contributes to our understanding of the microfoundational role of international experience in facilitating knowledge sharing in global organizations by integrating individual, dyadic and group perspectives.Practical implicationsManagerial implications are discussed for how to strengthen individuals' propensities for knowledge sharing from international experience through strategic hiring, employee development, succession planning and expatriate mobility.Originality/valueThe presented framework explicitly considers the implications of individual heterogeneity in international experience for differences in organizational knowledge sharing capabilities, thereby contributing to the search for microfoundations of competitive advantage in global organizations.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2021-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80266515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-23DOI: 10.1108/jgm-04-2021-0047
María Bastida, L. Pinto, Anne-Wil Harzing
PurposeThe expatriation literature has developed an insightful body of research on the reasons why women are not assigned abroad as frequently as men. However, the authors know very little about the systemic and recursive consequences of women's underrepresentation in international assignments (IAs), which are examined in this conceptual paper.Design/methodology/approachDrawing upon expatriation research and a system dynamics perspective, the authors propose a conceptual model to explain both women's underrepresentation in IAs and its recursive consequences.FindingsThe authors highlight how women's underrepresentation in IAs results from a complex system of recursive effects that jeopardizes women's professional development and undermines both their own career progression to top management and firms' competitive advantage and international growth. The authors argue that organizations make decisions that contravene their own interest in a competitive global context. First is that they are limiting their talent pool by not considering female candidates. Second is that they are missing the opportunity to use IAs to advance women's careers.Research limitations/implicationsThe model provides a solid grounding for future research on selecting the most effective organizational actions and designing supportive measures to disrupt the persistent dynamics contributing to women's underrepresentation in IAs. Future research could also expand our study by incorporating individual differences and the proactive role that women may take.Practical implicationsThe model points to specific managerial interventions (e.g. increased access to job training and specific training ahead of the assignment, dual-career support, women's mentoring and affirmative action) which have the potential to reduce women's underrepresentation in IAs and in top management.Originality/valueThe system dynamics approach enables a broader understanding of why women are underrepresented in IAs, how this underrepresentation further exacerbates gender segregation in international business, and how these recursive outcomes can be averted to the advantage of firms' sustainable growth.
{"title":"No room at the top? A system dynamics view of the recursive consequences of women's underrepresentation in international assignments","authors":"María Bastida, L. Pinto, Anne-Wil Harzing","doi":"10.1108/jgm-04-2021-0047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-04-2021-0047","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe expatriation literature has developed an insightful body of research on the reasons why women are not assigned abroad as frequently as men. However, the authors know very little about the systemic and recursive consequences of women's underrepresentation in international assignments (IAs), which are examined in this conceptual paper.Design/methodology/approachDrawing upon expatriation research and a system dynamics perspective, the authors propose a conceptual model to explain both women's underrepresentation in IAs and its recursive consequences.FindingsThe authors highlight how women's underrepresentation in IAs results from a complex system of recursive effects that jeopardizes women's professional development and undermines both their own career progression to top management and firms' competitive advantage and international growth. The authors argue that organizations make decisions that contravene their own interest in a competitive global context. First is that they are limiting their talent pool by not considering female candidates. Second is that they are missing the opportunity to use IAs to advance women's careers.Research limitations/implicationsThe model provides a solid grounding for future research on selecting the most effective organizational actions and designing supportive measures to disrupt the persistent dynamics contributing to women's underrepresentation in IAs. Future research could also expand our study by incorporating individual differences and the proactive role that women may take.Practical implicationsThe model points to specific managerial interventions (e.g. increased access to job training and specific training ahead of the assignment, dual-career support, women's mentoring and affirmative action) which have the potential to reduce women's underrepresentation in IAs and in top management.Originality/valueThe system dynamics approach enables a broader understanding of why women are underrepresented in IAs, how this underrepresentation further exacerbates gender segregation in international business, and how these recursive outcomes can be averted to the advantage of firms' sustainable growth.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2021-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80601175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-17DOI: 10.1108/jgm-12-2020-0085
J. Maley, T. Kiessling
PurposeThe study explores inpatriation and the role of performance management (PM) upon knowledge transfer through the theoretical lenses of leader–member exchange (LMX) and social embeddedness theories.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a qualitative approach and focuses on inpatriate managers at the headquarters of three large UK healthcare multinational corporations (MNC). The authors were able to collect and analyze 24 interviews, with a focus on our key variables. The authors also conducted interviews with human resource (HR) personnel responsible for global mobility.FindingsThe findings suggest that the inpatriate managers’ willingness to transfer knowledge is contingent on their LMX with their supervisor and embeddedness within the firm. The authors found that good PM is the facilitator.Originality/valueThe critical contribution of the paper is exposing apparent weaknesses in current inpatriate PM practices in contributing to the MNCs' global knowledge flows, and ultimately, firm performance. This study's findings add to the awareness of how MNC knowledge flows transpire and emphasize the importance of rigorous PM practices for MNC knowledge transfer.
{"title":"Global knowledge transfers through inpatriates: performance management, LMX and embeddedness","authors":"J. Maley, T. Kiessling","doi":"10.1108/jgm-12-2020-0085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-12-2020-0085","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe study explores inpatriation and the role of performance management (PM) upon knowledge transfer through the theoretical lenses of leader–member exchange (LMX) and social embeddedness theories.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a qualitative approach and focuses on inpatriate managers at the headquarters of three large UK healthcare multinational corporations (MNC). The authors were able to collect and analyze 24 interviews, with a focus on our key variables. The authors also conducted interviews with human resource (HR) personnel responsible for global mobility.FindingsThe findings suggest that the inpatriate managers’ willingness to transfer knowledge is contingent on their LMX with their supervisor and embeddedness within the firm. The authors found that good PM is the facilitator.Originality/valueThe critical contribution of the paper is exposing apparent weaknesses in current inpatriate PM practices in contributing to the MNCs' global knowledge flows, and ultimately, firm performance. This study's findings add to the awareness of how MNC knowledge flows transpire and emphasize the importance of rigorous PM practices for MNC knowledge transfer.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2021-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80069330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-13DOI: 10.1108/jgm-05-2021-0054
C. Brewster, Vesa Suutari, Marie-France Waxin
PurposeThis paper aims: to undertake a systematic literature review on SIEs, examining twenty years of literature published between 2000 and 2020, focusing on the most-cited empirical work in the field; to analyse the topics covered by these studies; and to propose a research agenda.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted a systematic literature review, identifying the 20 most-cited empirical articles through citation analysis during the period and, because citations accrue over time, the six most-cited empirical articles of the last three years. We then used content analysis to examine the main themes they address and identify the research gaps.FindingsThe most common themes addressed in the SIE literature are: analysis of the types and distinctions of SIEs, motivation to undertake self-initiated expatriation, SIEs' adjustment to the new country, and SIEs' careers and outcomes.Originality/valueThis paper provides a first opportunity to look back at 20 years of research into a relatively new topic, highlighting the main research themes and knowledge gaps, and setting directions for future research. The paper expands knowledge on SIEs, assisting SIE scholars and IHRM practitioners to develop a global, critical understanding of SIEs' issues, and hopefully energising future research in this field.
{"title":"Two decades of research into SIEs and what do we know? A systematic review of the most influential literature and a proposed research agenda","authors":"C. Brewster, Vesa Suutari, Marie-France Waxin","doi":"10.1108/jgm-05-2021-0054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-05-2021-0054","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis paper aims: to undertake a systematic literature review on SIEs, examining twenty years of literature published between 2000 and 2020, focusing on the most-cited empirical work in the field; to analyse the topics covered by these studies; and to propose a research agenda.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted a systematic literature review, identifying the 20 most-cited empirical articles through citation analysis during the period and, because citations accrue over time, the six most-cited empirical articles of the last three years. We then used content analysis to examine the main themes they address and identify the research gaps.FindingsThe most common themes addressed in the SIE literature are: analysis of the types and distinctions of SIEs, motivation to undertake self-initiated expatriation, SIEs' adjustment to the new country, and SIEs' careers and outcomes.Originality/valueThis paper provides a first opportunity to look back at 20 years of research into a relatively new topic, highlighting the main research themes and knowledge gaps, and setting directions for future research. The paper expands knowledge on SIEs, assisting SIE scholars and IHRM practitioners to develop a global, critical understanding of SIEs' issues, and hopefully energising future research in this field.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2021-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74017121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-13DOI: 10.1108/jgm-02-2021-0018
Yushan Hsu, Yu-Ping Chen, M. Shaffer, F. Chiang
PurposeDrawing on expectancy value theory (EVT), this paper examines knowledge exchange between expatriate and host country national (HCN) dyads to understand whether receivers' perceptions about senders' motivation to transfer knowledge and perceived value of the knowledge jointly affect receivers' motivation to learn and, in turn, facilitate their knowledge acquisition and sharing.Design/methodology/approachLatent moderated structural (LMS) equations were used to analyze data from 107 expatriate–HCN dyads working in the Asia Pacific region.FindingsIn general, whether senders are expatriates or HCNs, only when receivers perceive that (1) knowledge to be transferred is valuable and (2) senders are motivated to transfer, receivers are likely to be motivated to receive knowledge transferred from senders and, in turn, acquire and share knowledge with senders.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first in the expatriate and knowledge transfer literature to address the mixed findings between senders' motivation to transfer and receivers' knowledge acquisition and sharing by drawing on EVT.
{"title":"Knowledge exchange between expatriates and host country nationals: an expectancy value perspective","authors":"Yushan Hsu, Yu-Ping Chen, M. Shaffer, F. Chiang","doi":"10.1108/jgm-02-2021-0018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-02-2021-0018","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeDrawing on expectancy value theory (EVT), this paper examines knowledge exchange between expatriate and host country national (HCN) dyads to understand whether receivers' perceptions about senders' motivation to transfer knowledge and perceived value of the knowledge jointly affect receivers' motivation to learn and, in turn, facilitate their knowledge acquisition and sharing.Design/methodology/approachLatent moderated structural (LMS) equations were used to analyze data from 107 expatriate–HCN dyads working in the Asia Pacific region.FindingsIn general, whether senders are expatriates or HCNs, only when receivers perceive that (1) knowledge to be transferred is valuable and (2) senders are motivated to transfer, receivers are likely to be motivated to receive knowledge transferred from senders and, in turn, acquire and share knowledge with senders.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first in the expatriate and knowledge transfer literature to address the mixed findings between senders' motivation to transfer and receivers' knowledge acquisition and sharing by drawing on EVT.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2021-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82574323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-03DOI: 10.1108/jgm-12-2020-0080
Abdoulkadre Ado, R. Wanjiru, Zhan Su
PurposeThe study explores African partners' experiences regarding Chinese expatriates' knowledge control practices in 29 Sino-African joint ventures in 12 countries. It provides insights into power dynamics and knowledge transfer (KT) from African partners' perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe qualitative paper mobilized semi-structured interviews with Africans who worked with Chinese expatriates across Africa. The study focused on understanding the experiences of African partners when collaborating with their Chinese expatriate colleagues on assignments in joint ventures (JVs) in Africa.FindingsChinese expatriates employed five tactics, as described by African partners, to control knowledge based on power, behaviors and knowledge type. Particularly, through the lens of unofficial power, this study explains knowledge hiding tactics between knowledge-holding Chinese expatriates and host country knowledge-seeking locals. A new dimension of authority-based knowledge hiding is discovered.Originality/valueThe paper brings new insights into the analysis of power (official and unofficial) boundaries regarding knowledge control mechanisms in joint venture collaborations between employees from China and Africa. Unofficial power appeared as a major leverage for expatriates in monopolizing their strategic knowledge. The study recommends mobilizing African diaspora and repatriates from China to improve KT for Africa.
{"title":"Chinese expatriates working with African partners: power struggles and knowledge hiding","authors":"Abdoulkadre Ado, R. Wanjiru, Zhan Su","doi":"10.1108/jgm-12-2020-0080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-12-2020-0080","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe study explores African partners' experiences regarding Chinese expatriates' knowledge control practices in 29 Sino-African joint ventures in 12 countries. It provides insights into power dynamics and knowledge transfer (KT) from African partners' perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe qualitative paper mobilized semi-structured interviews with Africans who worked with Chinese expatriates across Africa. The study focused on understanding the experiences of African partners when collaborating with their Chinese expatriate colleagues on assignments in joint ventures (JVs) in Africa.FindingsChinese expatriates employed five tactics, as described by African partners, to control knowledge based on power, behaviors and knowledge type. Particularly, through the lens of unofficial power, this study explains knowledge hiding tactics between knowledge-holding Chinese expatriates and host country knowledge-seeking locals. A new dimension of authority-based knowledge hiding is discovered.Originality/valueThe paper brings new insights into the analysis of power (official and unofficial) boundaries regarding knowledge control mechanisms in joint venture collaborations between employees from China and Africa. Unofficial power appeared as a major leverage for expatriates in monopolizing their strategic knowledge. The study recommends mobilizing African diaspora and repatriates from China to improve KT for Africa.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2021-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79770073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-29DOI: 10.1108/jgm-01-2021-0004
J. Ryan, Sari Silvanto
PurposeThis study examines which dimensions of a business environment are most important for attracting globally mobile self-initiated expatriates to a country. The authors use secondary data from the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, IMD and the World Population Review to test eight hypotheses involving six macro-contextual factors that prior studies suggest attract internationally mobile skilled professionals, such as self-initiated expatriates, to a country's business environment. The macro-contextual factors examined are socio-cultural, economic, natural, ecological, technological clusters and legal and regulatory.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use secondary data from the World Bank, IMD, World Population Report and the World Economic Forum to test eight hypotheses concerning macro-contextual factors that attract self-initiated expatriates to a country's business environment.FindingsThe study finds that factors such as the ease of hiring foreign labor, the use of English, macroeconomic stability, the diversity of the workforce and the quality of life in a country positively influence the attractiveness of its business environment to self-initiated expatriates. The study also finds that a business environment's socio-cultural, natural, economic and legal and regulatory macro-contextual attributes make it attractive to self-initiated expatriates.Originality/valueTo reduce common source bias, the authors use secondary data from four sources to examine which of six macro-contextual factors make a sample of 63 national business environments attractive to self-initiated expatriates. This study is one of the few to examine the impact of business environments on global mobility.
{"title":"An examination of the influence of business environments on the attraction of globally mobile self-initiated expatriates","authors":"J. Ryan, Sari Silvanto","doi":"10.1108/jgm-01-2021-0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-01-2021-0004","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis study examines which dimensions of a business environment are most important for attracting globally mobile self-initiated expatriates to a country. The authors use secondary data from the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, IMD and the World Population Review to test eight hypotheses involving six macro-contextual factors that prior studies suggest attract internationally mobile skilled professionals, such as self-initiated expatriates, to a country's business environment. The macro-contextual factors examined are socio-cultural, economic, natural, ecological, technological clusters and legal and regulatory.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use secondary data from the World Bank, IMD, World Population Report and the World Economic Forum to test eight hypotheses concerning macro-contextual factors that attract self-initiated expatriates to a country's business environment.FindingsThe study finds that factors such as the ease of hiring foreign labor, the use of English, macroeconomic stability, the diversity of the workforce and the quality of life in a country positively influence the attractiveness of its business environment to self-initiated expatriates. The study also finds that a business environment's socio-cultural, natural, economic and legal and regulatory macro-contextual attributes make it attractive to self-initiated expatriates.Originality/valueTo reduce common source bias, the authors use secondary data from four sources to examine which of six macro-contextual factors make a sample of 63 national business environments attractive to self-initiated expatriates. This study is one of the few to examine the impact of business environments on global mobility.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2021-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73949038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-24DOI: 10.1108/jgm-03-2021-0020
Parth Patel, H. Rammal, J. Ferreira, Verma Prikshat
PurposeThis study examines how emerging market multinational enterprises operating in the service sector manage knowledge and team members in their overseas subsidiaries and what role expatriates play in their operations.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a multiple case study design and interview 20 senior managers representing 16 Indian IT firm's subsidiaries in Australia. The onsite-offshore concept and the SECI model are used to explain the knowledge management process.FindingsThe findings show that Indian IT firms mostly transfer knowledge from their headquarters in the parent country to their subsidiaries in the host country using the onsite-offshore model where work is divided and coordinated between team members situated between the two locations. Furthermore, the host country subsidiaries have limited independence in decision-making due to a forward, one-way diffusion of knowledge, thus limiting a two-way interaction between the HQ and the subsidiary for opportunities to create and exchange new knowledge.Originality/valueThe study is one of the few to investigate the onsite-offshore phenomenon in service-based emerging market multinational enterprises.
{"title":"Knowledge management, sharing and transfer in cross-national teams and the remote management of team members: the onsite-offshore phenomenon of service EMNEs","authors":"Parth Patel, H. Rammal, J. Ferreira, Verma Prikshat","doi":"10.1108/jgm-03-2021-0020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/jgm-03-2021-0020","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis study examines how emerging market multinational enterprises operating in the service sector manage knowledge and team members in their overseas subsidiaries and what role expatriates play in their operations.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a multiple case study design and interview 20 senior managers representing 16 Indian IT firm's subsidiaries in Australia. The onsite-offshore concept and the SECI model are used to explain the knowledge management process.FindingsThe findings show that Indian IT firms mostly transfer knowledge from their headquarters in the parent country to their subsidiaries in the host country using the onsite-offshore model where work is divided and coordinated between team members situated between the two locations. Furthermore, the host country subsidiaries have limited independence in decision-making due to a forward, one-way diffusion of knowledge, thus limiting a two-way interaction between the HQ and the subsidiary for opportunities to create and exchange new knowledge.Originality/valueThe study is one of the few to investigate the onsite-offshore phenomenon in service-based emerging market multinational enterprises.","PeriodicalId":44863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Global Mobility-The Home of Expatriate Management Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2021-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84760874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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