Repatriating knowledge: Variables influencing the "transfer" process

Journal of International Business Studies

Volumn 40, Issue 2, 2009, Pages 181-199

  Oddou, Gary ^a   Osland, Joyce S ^b   Blakeney, Roger N ^c  

^a CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^c UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON   (United States)

Author keywords

Expatriate; HRM management; Knowledge transfer; Knowledge transfer model; Repatriate

Indexed keywords

EID: 59449096567     PISSN: 00472506     EISSN: 14786990     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400402     Document Type: Article

References (138)

1. Adler, N. 1981. Re-entry: Managing cross-cultural transitions. Group & Organizational Studies, 6(3): 341-356.
2. Anderson, J. R. 1983. The architecture of cognition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
3. Andrews, K. M., & Delahaye, B. I. 2000. Influences on knowledge processes in organizational learning: The psychosocial filter. Journal of Management Studies, 37(7): 797-810.
4. Argote, L. 1999. Organizational learning: Creating, retaining and transferring knowledge. Norwell, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
5. Argote, L., McEvily, B., & Reagans, R. 2003. Managing knowledge in organizations: An integrative framework and review of emerging themes. Management Science, 49(4): 571-582.
6. Argyris, C., & Schön, D. A. 1978. Organizational learning: A theory of action perspective. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
7. Ashkenas, R. 1999. Creating the boundaryless organization. Business Horizons, 42(5): 5-10.
8. Astley, G., & Sachdeva, P. 1984. Structural sources of intraorganizational power: A theoretical synthesis. Academy of Management Review, 9(1): 104-113.
9. Athanassiou, N., & Nigh, D. 2000. Internationalization, tacit knowledge and the top management teams of MNEs. Journal of International Business Studies, 31(3): 471-488.
10. Au, K. Y., & Fukuda, J. 2002. Boundary spanning behaviors of expatriates. Journal of World Business, 37(4): 285-296.
11. Bartlett, C. A., & Ghoshal, S. 1998. Managing across borders (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
12. Berthoin Antal, A. 2000. Types of knowledge gained by expatriate managers. Journal of General Management, 26(2): 32-51.
13. Berthoin Antal, A. 2001. Expatriates' contributions to organizational learning. Journal of General Management, 26(4): 62-84.
14. Berthoin Antal, A., & Böhling, K. 1998. Expatriation as an underused resource for organizational learning. In H. Albach, M. Dierkes, A. Berthoin Antal & K. Vaillant (Eds), Organisationslernen - Institutionelle und Kulturelle Dimensionen: 215-236. Berlin: Edition Sigma.
15. Bird, A. 1994. Careers as repositories of knowledge: A new perspective on boundaryless careers. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15(4): 325-344.
16. Bird, A. 2001. International assignments and careers as repositories of knowledge. In M. Mendenhall, T. Kühlmann & G. K. Stahl (Eds), Developing global business leaders: Policies, processes, and innovations: 19-36. Westport, CT: Quorum.
17. Black, J. S., & Gregersen, H. B. 1999. The right way to manage expatriates. Harvard Business Review, 77(2): 52-54, 56, 58, 60-62.
18. Black, J. S., Gregersen, H. B., Mendenhall, M., & Stroh, L. 1998. Globalizing people through international assignments. Upper Saddle Creek, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
19. Blakeney, R. N., Oddou, G., & Osland, J. S. 2006. Repatriate assets: Factors impacting knowledge transfer. In M. Morley, N. Hearty & D. Collings (Eds), International HRM and international assignments: 181-199. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
20. Boisot, M. H. 1998. Knowledge assets: Securing competitive advantage in the information economy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
21. Bonache, J., & Brewster, C. 2001. Knowledge transfer and the management of expatriation. Thunderbird International Business Review, 43(1): 145-168.
22. Bonache, J., Brewster, C., & Suutari, V. 2001. Expatriation: A developing research agenda. Thunderbird International Business Review, 43(1): 3-20.
23. Brass, D. J., Galaskiewicz, J., Greve, H. R., & Tsai, W. 2004. Taking stock of networks and organizations: A multilevel perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 47(6): 795-817.
24. Brewster, C. 1991. The management of expatriates. London: Kogan Page.
25. Bryant, S., & Nguyen, T. 2002. Knowledge acquisition and sharing in international strategic alliances: The role of trust. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Washington, DC.
26. Buchan, N. R., Croson, R. T. A., & Dawes, R. M. 2002. Swift neighbors and persistent strangers: A cross-cultural investigation of trust and reciprocity in social exchange. American Journal of Sociology, 108(1): 168-206.
27. Burton-Jones, A. 1999. Knowledge capitalism: Business, work, and learning in the new economy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
28. Carpenter, M., Sanders, W., & Gregersen, H. 2001. Bundling human capital with organizational context: The impact of international assignment experience on multinational firm performance and CEO pay. Academy of Management Journal, 44(3): 493-511.
29. Cohen, W. M., & Levinthal, D. A. 1990. Absorptive capacity: A new perspective on learning and innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35(1): 128-152.
30. Conner, K. R., & Prahalad, C. K. 1996. A resource based theory of the firm: Knowledge versus opportunism. Organization Science, 7(5): 477-501.
31. Cross, R., & Prusak, L 2003. The political economy of knowledge markets in organizations. In M. Easterby-Smith & M. Lyles (Eds), The Blackwell handbook of organizational learning and knowledge management: 454-472. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
32. Cross, R., Rice, R., & Parker, A. 2001. Information seeking in social context: Structural influences and receipt of information benefits. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics Part C: Applications and Reviews, 31 (4): 438-448.
33. Cummings, J., & Teng, B. S. 2003. Transferring R&D knowledge: The key factors affecting knowledge transfer success. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 20(1-2): 39-68.
34. Czarniawska, B., & Sevón, G. (Eds) 2005. Global ideas: How ideas, objects and practices travel in the global economy. Malmö, Denmark: Liber and Copenhagen Business School Press.
35. Davenport, T. H., & Prusak, L. 1998. Working knowledge: How organizations manage what they know. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
36. Dixon, N. M. 2000. Common knowledge: How companies thrive by sharing what they know. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
37. Downes, M., & Thomas, A. S. 1999. Managing overseas assignments to build organizational knowledge. Human Resource Planning, 22(4): 33-48.
38. Downes, M., & Thomas, A. S. 2000. Knowledge transfer through expatriation: The U-curve approach. Journal of Managerial Issues, 12(2): 131-151.
39. Doz, Y., Santos, J., & Williamson, P. 2001. From global to metanational: How companies win in the knowledge economy. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
40. Dyer, J. H., & Nobeoka, K. 2000. Creating and managing a high-performance knowledge-sharing network: The Toyota case. Strategic Management Journal, 21(3): 345-367.
41. Fernie, S., Green, S. D., Weller, S. J., & Newcombe, R. 2003. Knowledge sharing: Context, confusion and controversy. International Journal of Project Management, 21 (3): 177-187.
42. Fink, G., Meierewert, S., & Rohr, U. 2005. The use of repatriate knowledge in organizations. Human Resource Planning, 28(4): 30-36.
43. Fisher, C. D. 1986. Organizational socialization: An integrative review. In K. M. Rowland & G. R. Ferris (Eds), Research in personnel and human resources management, Vol. 4 101-145. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
44. Fisher, S. R., & White, M. A. 2000. Downsizing in a learning organization: Are there hidden costs? Academy of Management Review, 25(1): 244-251.
45. Fleck, J., & Tierney, M. 1991. The management of expertise: Knowledge, power and the economics of expert labour. Edinburgh PICT Working Paper No. 29.
46. Forster, N. 1994. The forgotten employees? The experiences of expatriate staff returning to the UK. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 5(4): 405-427.
47. Foss, N. J., & Pedersen, T. 2002. Transferring knowledge in MNCs: The role of sources of subsidiary knowledge and organizational context. Journal of International Management, 8(1): 49-58.
48. French, J. R. P., & Raven, B. 1959. The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies In social power: 150-167. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
49. Furuya, N., Stevens, M., Oddou, G., & Bird, A. 2007. The effects of HR policies and repatriate self-adjustment on global competency transfer. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 45(1): 6-23.
50. Gold, A. H., Malhotra, A., & Segars, A. H. 2001. Knowledge management: An organizational capabilities perspective. Journal of Management Information Systems, 18(1): 185-214.
51. Gould, R. 2002. The origins of status hierarchies: A formal theory and empirical test. American Journal of Sociology, 107(5): 1143-1178.
52. Grant, R. M. 1996. Prospering in dynamically competitive environments: Organizational capability as knowledge integration. Organization Science, 7(4): 375-387.
53. Gregersen, H. B., & Black, J. S. 1995. Keeping high performers after international assignments: A key to global executive development. Journal of International Management, 1(1): 3-21.
54. Gruenfeld, D. H., Martorana, P. V., & Fan, E. T. 2002. What do groups learn from their worldliest members? Direct and indirect influence in dynamic teams. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 82(1): 45-59.
55. Gupta, A. K.,& Govindarajan, V. 2000. Knowledge flows within multinational corporations. Strategic Management Journal, 21 (4): 473-496.
56. Hakanson, L. 1995. Learning through acquisitions: Management and integration of foreign R&D laboratories. International Studies of Management & Organization, 25(1-2): 121-157.
57. Haldin-Herrgard, T. 2000. Difficulties in diffusion of tacit knowledge in organizations. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 1(1): 357-365.
58. Hamel, G. 1991. Competition for competence and inter-partner learning within international strategic alliances. Strategic Management Journal, 15(4): 291-309.
59. Harvey, M. 1989. Repatriation of corporate executives: An empirical study. Journal of International Business Studies, 20(1): 131-144.
60. Harzing, A. W. 2001. Of bears, bumble-bees, and spiders: The role of expatriates in controlling foreign subsidiaries. Journal of World Business, 36(4): 366-379.
61. Haslam, S. A., Oakes, P. J., Reynolds, K. J., & Turner, J. C. 1999. Social identity salience and the emergence of stereotype consensus. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25(7): 809-818.
62. Hocking, J. B., Brown, M., & Harzing, A. W. 2004. A knowledge transfer perspective of strategic assignment purposes and their path-dependent outcomes. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 15(3): 565-586.
63. Holden, N. 2002. Cross-cultural management: A knowledge management perspective. London: Prentice-Hall Financial Times.
64. Huber, G. P. 1991. Organizational learning: The contributing processes and the literatures. Organization Science, 2(1): 88-125.
65. Inkson, K., Arthur, M. B., Pringle, J., & Barry, S. 1997. Expatriate assignment versus overseas experience: Contrasting models of international human resource development. Journal of World Business, 32(4): 351-368.
66. Janssens, M. 1995. Intercultural interaction: A burden on international managers? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 16(2): 155-167.
67. Kanda, M. 1992. The four-knows framework. Cited in J. B. Kidd & Y. Teramoto. 1995. The learning organization: The case of the Japanese RHQs in Europe. Management International Review, 35(2, Special Issue): 39-56.
68. Kane, A., Argote, L., & Levine, J. 2005. Knowledge transfer between groups via personnel rotation: Effects of social identity and knowledge quality. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 96(1): 56-71.
69. Kidd, J. B., & Teramoto, Y. 1995. The learning organization: The case of the Japanese RHQs in Europe. Management International Review, 35(Special Issue 2): 39-56.
70. Klein, K. J., & Koslowski, S. W. J. 2000. From micro to meso: Critical steps in conceptualizing and conducting multilevel research. Organizational Research Methods, 3(3): 211-236.
71. Kochan, T., Dyer, L., & Batt, R. 1992. International human resource studies: A framework for future research. In D. Lewin, O. S. Mitchell & P. D. Sherer (Eds), Research frontiers in industrial relations and human resources: 309-337. Madison, WI: Industrial Relations Research Association.
72. Kodama, M. 2005a. How two Japanese high-tech companies achieved rapid innovation via strategic community networks. Strategy and Leadership, 33(6): 39-47.
73. Kodama, M. 2005b. Technological innovation through networked strategic communities: A study on a high tech company in Japan. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 70(1): 21-35.
74. Kostova, T. 1999. Transnational transfer of strategic organizational practices: A contextual perspective. Academy of Management Review, 24(2): 308-324.
75. Kostova, T., Athanassiou, N., & Berdrow, I. 2004. Managing knowledge in global organizations. In H. Lane, M. Maznevski, M. Mendenhall & J. McNett (Eds), The Blackwell handbook of global management: A guide to managing complexity: 275-288. Maiden, MA: Blackwell.
76. Kramer, R. M. 1999. Trust and distrust in organizations: Emerging perspectives, enduring questions. Annual Review of Psychology, 50: 569-698.
77. Lane, P., Koka, B., & Pathak, S. 2006. The reification of absorptive capacity: A critical review and rejuvenation of the concept. Academy of Management Review, 31(4): 833-863.
78. Lazarova, M., & Tarique, I. 2005. Knowledge transfer upon repatriation. Journal of World Business, 40(4): 361-373.
79. Lee, Y. T. 1993. Ingroup preference and homogeneity among African American and Chinese American students. Journal of Social Psychology, 133(2): 225-238.
80. Levin, D., & Cross, R. 2004. The strength of weak ties you can trust: The mediating role of trust in effective knowledge transfer. Management Science, 50(11): 1477-1490.
81. Levy, O., Beechler, S., Taylor, S., & Boyacigiller, N. 1999. What we talk about when we talk about "global mindset". Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Chicago, IL.
82. Levy, O., Beechler, S., Taylor, S., & Boyacigiller, N. 2007. What we talk about when we talk about "global mindset": Managerial cognition in multinational organizations. Journal of International Business Studies, 38(2): 231-258.
83. Machlup, F. 1980. Knowledge: Its creation, distribution and economic significance. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
84. Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. 1995. An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(4): 709-735.
85. Maznevski, M., & Lane, H. 2004. Shaping the global mindset: Designing educational experiences for effective global thinking and action. In N. Boyacigiller, R. M. Goodman & M. Phillips (Eds), Teaching and experiencing cross-cultural management: Lessons from master teachers: 171-184. London: Routledge.
86. McAllister, D. J. 1995. Affect- and cognition-based trust as foundations for interpersonal cooperation in organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 38(1): 24-59.
87. Mehra, A., Kilduff, M., & Brass, D. J. 2001. The social networks of high and low self-monitors: Implications for workplace performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 46(1): 121-146.
88. Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. 1997. Commitment In the workplace: Theory, research and application. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
89. Minbaeva, D. B. 2005. HRM practices and MNC knowledge transfer. Personnel Review, 34(1): 125-144.
90. Minbaeva, D., Pedersen, T., Björkman, I., Fey, C. F., & Park, H. J. 2003. MNC knowledge transfer, subsidiary absorptive capacity, and HRM. Journal of International Business Studies, 34(6): 586-599.
91. Morrison, E. W. 2002. Information seeking within organizations. Human Communication Research, 28(2): 229-242.
92. Nonaka, I. 1991. The knowledge-creating company. Harvard Business Review, 69(6): 96-104.
93. Nonaka, I., & Kenney, M. 1991. Towards a new theory of innovation management: A case study comparing Canon, Inc. and Apple Computer, Inc. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 8(1): 67-83.
94. Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. 1995. The knowledge-creating company. New York: Oxford University Press.
95. Oddou, G. R. 2002. Repatriate assets and firm performance: Toward a model. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management, Denver, CO.
96. Oldmeadow, J., Platow, M. J., & Foddy, M. 2005. Task-groups as self-categories: A social identity perspective on status generalization. Current Research in Social Psychology, 10(18): 268-282.
97. Osland, J. 1995. The adventure of working abroad: Hero tales from the global frontier. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
98. Osterloh, M., & Frey, B. S. 2000. Motivation, knowledge transfer, and organizational forms. Organization Science, 11(5): 538-550.
99. Paris, S. G., Lipson, M. Y., & Wixson, K. K. 1983. Becoming a strategic reader. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 8(3): 293-316.
100. Paul, H. 2000. Creating a global mindset. Thunderbird International Business Review, 42(2): 187-200.
101. Politis, J. 2001. The relationship of various leadership styles to knowledge management. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 22(8): 354-364.
102. Polyani, M. 1966. The tacit dimension. London: Routledge.
103. Porter, L. W., Steers, R., Mowday, R. T., & Boulian, P. V. 1974. Unit performance, situational factors, and employee attitudes in spatially separated work units. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 15(1): 87-98.
104. PricewaterhouseCoopers 1997. International assignments: European policy and practice. PricewaterhouseCoopers Human Resource Services.
105. Riusala, K., & Suutari, V. 2004. International knowledge transfers through expatriates. Thunderbird International Business Review, 46(6): 743-770.
106. Roth, K., & Kostova, T. 2003. The use of the multinational corporation as a research context. Journal of Management, 29(6): 883-902.
107. Rousseau, D. M., Sitkin, S. B., Burt, R. S., & Camerer, C. 1998. Not so different after all: A cross-discipline view of trust. Academy of Management Review, 23(3): 393-404.
108. Sackmann, S. A. 1992. Culture and subcultures: An analysis of organizational knowledge. Administrative Science Quarterly, 37(1): 140-161.
109. Sambharya, R. B. 1996. Foreign experience of top management teams and international diversification strategies of US multinational corporations. Strategic Management Journal, 17(9): 739-746.
110. Shannon, C. E., & Weaver, W. 1949. The mathematical theory of communication. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
111. Shin, S., Morgeson, F., & Campion, M. 2007. What you do depends on where you are: Understanding how domestic and expatriate work requirements depend upon the cultural context. Journal of International Business Studies, 38(1): 64-83.
112. Simonin, B. L. 1999. Transfer of marketing know-how in international strategic alliances: An empirical investigation of the role and antecedents of knowledge ambiguity. Journal of International Business Studies, 30(4): 463-490.
113. Simonin, B. L. 2004. An empirical investigation of the process of knowledge transfer in international strategic alliances. Journal of International Business Studies, 35(5): 407-427.
114. Snyder, M. 1974. Self-monitoring of expressive behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 30(4): 526-537.
115. Spender, J. C. 1996. Making knowledge the basis of a dynamic theory of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 17(1): 45-62.
116. Stanek, M. 2000. The need for global managers: A business necessity. Management Decision, 38(3-4): 232-242.
117. Stangor, C., & Thompson, E. P. 2002. Needs for cognitive economy and self-enhancement as unique predictors of intergroup attitudes. European Journal of Social Psychology, 32(4): 563-575.
118. Stroh, L., & Caligiuri, P. 1998. Increasing global competitiveness through effective people management. Journal of World Business, 33(1): 1-16.
119. Stroh, L. K., Gregersen, H. B., & Black, J. S. 1998. Closing the gap: Expectations versus reality among repatriates. Journal of World Business, 33(2): 111-124.
120. Stroh, L K., Gregersen, H. B., & Black, J. S. 2000. Triumphs and tragedies: Expectations and commitments upon repatriation. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(4): 681-697.
121. Subramaniam, M., & Venkatraman, N. 2001. Determinants of transnational new product development capability: Testing the influence of transferring and deploying tacit overseas knowledge. Strategic Management Journal, 22(4): 359-378.
122. Sussman, N. 2000. The dynamic nature of cultural identity throughout cultural transitions: Why home is not so sweet. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4(4): 355-373.
123. Szulanski, G. 1996. Exploring internal stickiness: Impediments to the transfer of best practices within the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 17(Winter Special Issue): 27-43.
124. Szulanski, G., & Cappetta, R. 2003. Stickiness: Difficulties in the transfer of knowledge. In M. Easterby-Smith & M. Lyles (Eds), The Blackwell handbook of organizational learning and knowledge management: 513-534. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
125. Tallman, S., & Fladmoe-Lindquist, K. 2002. Internationalization, globalization and capability-based strategy. California Management Review, 45(1): 116-135.
126. Thomas, D. C. 1994. The boundary-spanning role of expatriates in the multinational corporation. Advances in International Comparative Management, 9(2): 145-170.
127. Torbiörn, I. 1982. Living abroad: Personal adjustment and personnel policy in the overseas setting. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
128. Tsai, W., & Ghoshal, S. 1998. Social capital and value creation: The role of intrafirm networks. Academy of Management Journal, 41 (4): 464-476.
129. Tsang, E. 1999. Internationalization as a learning process: Singapore MNEs in China. Academy of Management Executive, 13(1): 91-101.
130. Van Den Bosch, F. A. J., Van Wijk, R., & Volberda, H. W. 2003. Absorptive capacity: Antecedents, models and outcomes. In M. Easterby-Smith & M. A. Lyles (Eds), Handbook of organizational learning and knowledge management: 278-301. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
131. Van Maanen, J., & Schein, E. H. 1979. Toward a theory of organizational socialization. In B. Staw (Ed.), Research in organizational behavior, Vol. 1: 209-264. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
132. Verkuyten, M., & De Wolf, A. 2002. Being, feeling and doing: Discourses and ethnic self-definitions among minority group members. Culture and Psychology, 8(4): 371-399.
133. Welch, D. 1994. Determinants of international human resource management approaches and activities: A suggested framework. Journal or Management Studies, 31 (2): 139-163.
134. Wiig, K. M. 2004. People-focused knowledge management. London: Elsevier.
135. Wood, J. T. 1997. Communication in our lives. New York: Wadsworth.
136. Yeung, A., Ulrich, D., Nason, S., & von Glinow, M. 1999. Organizational learning capability. New York: Oxford University Press.
137. Zahra, S., & George, G. 2002. Absorptive capacity: A review, reconceptualization, and extension. Academy of Management Review, 27(2): 185-203.
138. Zander, U., & Kogut, B. 1995. Knowledge and the speed of the transfer and imitation of organizational capabilities. Organization Science, 6(1): 76-92.