Barriers to knowledge seeking within MNC teams: Which differences matter most

Journal of International Business Studies

Volumn 46, Issue 1, 2015, Pages 36-62

  Haas, Martine R ^a   Cummings, Jonathon N ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA   (United States)

^b DUKE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

knowledge acquisition and sharing; knowledge based view; Social Relations Model; survey method; teams and teamwork

Indexed keywords

EID: 84920605806     PISSN: 00472506     EISSN: 14786990     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1057/jibs.2014.37     Document Type: Article

References (89)

1. Aiken, L., & West, S. 1991. Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
2. Almeida, P. 1996. Knowledge sourcing by foreign multinationals: Patent citation analysis in the US semiconductor industry. Strategic Management Journal, 17(Winter Special Issue): 155-165.
3. Ancona, D., & Caldwell, D. 1992. Demography and design: Predictors of new product team performance. Organization Science, 3(3): 321-341.
4. Bartlett, C. A., Ghoshal, S., & Birkinshaw, J. 2003. Transnational management: Text, cases and readings in cross border management, 4th edn. Boston: McGraw-Hill-Irwin.
5. Bechky, B. 2003. Sharing meaning across occupational communities: The transformation of understanding on a production floor. Organization Science, 14(3): 312-330.
6. Bhagat, R. S., Kedia, B. L., Harveston, P. D., & Triandis, H. C. 2002. Cultural variations in the cross-border transfer of organizational knowledge: An integrative framework. Academy of Management Review, 27(2): 204-221.
7. Birkinshaw, J., & Morrison, A. J. 1995. Configurations of strategy and structure in subsidiaries of multinational corporations. Journal of International Business Studies, 26(4): 729-754.
8. Borgatti, S. P., & Cross, R. 2003. A relational view of information seeking and learning in social networks. Management Science, 49(4): 432-445.
9. Brandon, D. P., & Hollingshead, A. 2004. Transactive memory systems in organizations: Matching tasks, expertise, and people. Organization Science, 15(6): 633-644.
10. Brannen, M. Y. 2004. When Mickey loses face: Recontextualization, semantic fit, and the semiotics of foreignness. Academy of Management Review, 29(4): 593-616.
11. Byrne, D. 1971. The Attraction Paradigm. New York: Academic.
12. Cantwell, J. 2009. Location and the multinational enterprise. Journal of International Business Studies, 40(1): 35-41.
13. Cohen, S. G., & Bailey, D. E. 1997. What makes teams work: Group effectiveness research from the shop floor to the executive suite. Journal of Management, 23(3): 239-290.
14. Cramton, C. 2001. The mutual knowledge problem and its consequences for dispersed collaboration. Organization Science, 12(3): 346-371.
15. Cross, R., & Cummings, J. N. 2004. Tie and network correlates of individual performance in knowledge-intensive work. Academy of Management Journal, 47(6): 928-937.
16. Cyert, R., & March, J. 1963. A behavioral theory of the firm. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
17. Dougherty, D. 1992. Interpretive barriers to successful product innovation in large firms. Organization Science, 3(2): 179-202.
18. Doz, Y., Santos, J., & Williamson, P. 2001. From global to metanational: How companies win in the knowledge economy. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
19. Earley, P. C., & Gibson, C. B. 2002. Multinational work teams: A new perspective. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
20. Earley, P. C., & Mosakowski, E. 2000. Creating hybrid team cultures: An empirical test of transnational team functioning. Academy of Management Journal, 43(1): 26-49.
21. Espinosa, A., Cummings, J., Wilson, J., & Pearce, B. 2003. Team boundary issues across multiple global firms. Journal of Management Information Systems, 19(4): 159-192.
22. Espinosa, A., Slaughter, S., Kraut, R., & Herbsleb, J. 2007. Familiarity, complexity, and team performance in geographically distributed software development. Organization Science, 18(4): 613-630.
23. Faraj, S., & Sproull, L. 2000. Coordinating expertise in software development teams. Management Science, 46(12): 1554-1568.
24. 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): 49-67.
25. Foss, N. J., & Pedersen, T. 2004. Organizing knowledge processes in the multinational corporation: An introduction. Journal of International Business Studies, 35(5): 340-349.
26. Foss, N. J., Husted, K., & Michailova, S. 2010. Governing knowledge sharing in organizations: Levels of analysis, governance mechanisms, and research directions. Journal of Management Studies, 47(3): 455-482.
27. Galbraith, J. 1973. Designing complex organizations. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
28. Gibson, C., & Gibbs, J. 2006. Unpacking the concept of virtuality: The effects of geographic dispersion, electronic dependence, dynamic structure, and national diversity on team innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 51(3): 451-495.
29. Gruenfeld, D. H., Mannix, E. A., Williams, K. Y., & Neale, M. A. 1996. Group composition and decision making: How member familiarity and information distribution affect process and performance. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 67(1): 1-15.
30. Gupta, A., & Govindarajan, V. 2000. Knowledge flows within multinational corporations. Strategic Management Journal, 21(4): 473-496.
31. Haas, M. R. 2006. Acquiring and applying knowledge in transnational teams: The roles of cosmopolitans and locals. Organization Science, 17(1): 313-332.
32. Hambrick, D. C., Davison, S. C., Snell, S. A., & Snow, C. C. 1998. When groups consist of multiple nationalities: Towards a new understanding of the implications. Organization Studies, 19(2): 181-205.
33. Hansen, M., & Løvås, B. 2004. How do multinational companies leverage technological competencies? Moving from single to interdependent explanations. Strategic Management Journal, 25(4): 801-822.
34. Hansen, M. T., Mors, M. L., & Løvås, B. 2005. Knowledge sharing in organizations: Multiple networks, multiple phases. Academy of Management Journal, 48(5): 776-793.
35. Harrison, D. A., Price, K. H., & Bell, M. P. 1998. Beyond relational demography: Time and the effects of surface-and deep-level diversity on work group cohesion. Academy of Management Journal, 41(1): 96-107.
36. Hedlund, G. 1994. A model of knowledge management and the N-form corporation. Strategic Management Journal, 15(S2): 73-90.
37. Hinds, P. J., & Mortensen, M. 2005. Understanding conflict in geographically distributed teams: The moderating effects of shared identity, shared context, and spontaneous communication. Organization Science, 16(3): 290-307.
38. Hinds, P. J., Carley, K. M., Krackhardt, D., & Wholey, D. 2000. Choosing work group members: Balancing similarity, competence, and familiarity. Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 81(2): 226-251.
39. Hofmann, D., & Gavin, M. 1998. Centering decisions in hierarchical linear models: Implications for research in organizations. Journal of Management, 24(5): 623-641.
40. Hofstede, G. 1991. Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. New York: McGraw-Hill.
41. Hoopes, D. G., & Postrel, S. 1999. Shared knowledge, "glitches", and product development performance. Strategic Management Journal, 20(9): 837-863.
42. Huckman, R. S., Staats, B. R., & Upton, D. M. 2009. Team familiarity, role experience, and performance: Evidence from Indian software services. Management Science, 55(1): 85-100.
43. Jarvenpaa, S. L., & Leidner, D. E. 1999. Communication and trust in global virtual teams. Organization Science, 10(6): 791-815.
44. Jehn, K., Northcraft, G., & Neale,M. 1999. Why differencesmake a difference: A field study of diversity, conflict, and performance in workgroups. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(5): 741-763.
45. Jensen, R., & Szulanski, G. 2004. Stickiness and the adaptation of organizational practices in cross-border knowledge transfers. Journal of International Business Studies, 35(6): 508-523.
46. Jeppesen, L. B., & Lakhani, K. R. 2010. Marginality and problemsolving effectiveness in broadcast search. Organization Science, 21(5): 1016-1033.
47. Katz, R., & Allen, T. J. 1982. Investigating the Not Invented Here (NIH) syndrome: A look at the performance, tenure, and communication patterns of 50 R and D project groups. R and D Management, 12(1): 7-20.
48. Kenny, D., Kashy, D., & Cook, W. 2006. Dyadic data analysis. New York: Guilford Press.
49. Kilduff, M., & Krackhardt, D. 1994. Bringing the individual back in: A structural analysis of the internal market for reputation in organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 37(1): 87-108.
50. Kogut, B., & Zander, U. 1993. Knowledge of the firm and the evolutionary theory of the multinational corporation. Journal of International Business Studies, 24(6): 625-645.
51. Lau, D. C., & Murnighan, J. K. 1998. Demographic diversity and faultlines: The compositional dynamics of organizational groups. Academy of Management Review, 23(2): 325-340.
52. Laursen, K. 2012. Keep searching and you'll find: What do we know about variety creation and firms' search activities for innovation? Industrial and Corporate Change, 21(5): 1181-1220.
53. Lawrence, B.S. 1987. An organizational theory of age effects. In S. Bacharach, & N. DiTomaso (Eds), Research in the sociology of organizations. Vol. 5. 37-71. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
54. Leung, K., Bhagat, R. S., Buchan, N. R., Erez, M., & Gibson, C. B. 2005. Culture and international business: Recent advances and their implications for future research. Journal of International Business Studies, 36(4): 357-378.
55. Levin, D., & Barnard, H. 2013. Connections to distant knowledge: Interpersonal ties between more-and less-developed countries. Journal of International Business Studies, 44(7): 676-698.
56. Lord, M. D., & Ranft, A. L. 2000. Organizational learning about new international markets: Exploring the internal transfer of local market knowledge. Journal of International Business Studies, 31(4): 573-589.
57. Mannix, E., & Neale, M. 2005. What differences make a difference? The promise and reality of diverse teams in organizations. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 6(2): 31-55.
58. March, J. G. 1991. Exploration and exploitation in organizational learning. Organization Science, 2(1): 71-87.
59. March, J., & Simon, H. 1958. Organizations. New York: Wiley.
60. Marschan-Piekkari, R., Welch, D., & Welch, L. 1999. In the shadow: The impact of language on structure, power and communication in the multinational. International Business Review, 8(4): 421-440.
61. McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L., & Cook, J. 2001. Birds of a feather: Homophily in social networks. Annual Review of Sociology, 27(1): 415-444.
62. 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.
63. Monteiro, L. F., Arvisson, N., & Birkinshaw, J. 2008. Knowledge flows within multinational corporations: Explaining subsidiary isolation and its performance implications. Organization Science, 19(1): 90-106.
64. Neeley, T. 2013. Language matters: Status loss and achieved status distinctions in global organizations. Organization Science, 24(2): 476-497.
65. Newcomb, T. M. 1961. The acquaintance process. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.
66. Nisbett, R. E., & Ross, L. 1980. Human inference: Strategies and shortcomings of social judgment. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
67. Nohria, N., & Ghoshal, S. 1997. The differentiated network: Organizing multinational corporations for value creation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
68. Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. 1995. The knowledge-creating company. New York: Oxford University Press.
69. O'Reilly, C. A., Caldwell, D. F., & Barnett, W. P. 1989. Work group demography, social integration, and turnover. Administrative Science Quarterly, 34(1): 21-37.
70. Pelled, L. 1996. Demographic diversity, conflict, and work group outcomes: An intervening process theory. Organization Science, 7(6): 615-631.
71. Pfeffer, J. 1983. Organizational demography. In B. Staw, & L. Cummings (Eds), Research in organizational behavior. Vol. 5. 299-357. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
72. Podolny, J., & Baron, J. 1997. Resources and relationships: Social networks and mobility in the workplace. American Sociological Review, 62(5): 673-693.
73. Puranam, P., Raveendran, M., & Knudsen, T. 2012. Organization design: The epistemic interdependence perspective. Academy of Management Review, 37(3): 419-441.
74. Reagans, R., Argote, L., & Brooks, D. 2005. Individual experience and experience working together: Predicting learning rates from knowing who knows what and knowing how to work together. Management Science, 51(6): 869-881.
75. Reagans, R., Zuckerman, E., & McEvily, B. 2004. How to make the team: Social networks v demography as criteria for designing effective teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 49(1): 101-133.
76. Ryder, N. B. 1965. The cohort as a concept in the study of social change. American Sociological Review, 30(6): 843-861.
77. Schulz, M. 2003. Pathways of relevance: Exploring inflows of knowledge into subunits of multinational corporations. Organization Science, 14(4): 440-459.
78. Shapiro, D., Von Glinow, M., & Cheng, J. 2005. Managing multinational teams. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
79. Singer, J., & Willett, J. 2003. Applied longitudinal data analysis: Modeling change and event occurrence. New York: Oxford University Press.
80. Snow, C., Snell, S., Davison, S., & Hambrick, D. 1996. Use transnational teams to globalize your company. Organizational Dynamics, 24(4): 50-67.
81. Stasser, G. 1992. Pooling of unshared information during group discussions. In S. Worchel, W. Wood, & J. Simpson (Eds), Group process and productivity, 48-67. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
82. Szulanski, G. 1996. Exploring internal stickiness: Impediments to the transfer of best practice within the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 17(Winter Special Issue): 27-43.
83. Teece, D. J. 1977. Technology transfer by multinational firms: The resource cost of transferring technological know-how. The Economic Journal, 87(346): 242-261.
84. Tushman, M. L., & Scanlan, T. J. 1981. Boundary spanning individuals: Their role in information transfer and their antecedents. Academy of Management Journal, 24(2): 289-305.
85. Van den Bulte, C. R., & Moenaert, R. 1998. The effects of R and D team co-location on communication patterns among R and D, marketing, and manufacturing. Management Science, 44(11): S1-S18.
86. Wageman, R. 1995. Interdependence and group effectiveness. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(1): 145-180.
87. Yang, Q., Mudambi, R., & Meyer, K. E. 2008. Conventional and reverse knowledge flows in multinational corporations. Journal of Management, 34(5): 882-902.
88. Zellmer-Bruhn, M., Maloney, M., Bhappu, A.D., & Salvador, R. 2008. When and how do differences matter? An exploration of perceived similarity in teams. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 107(1): 41-59.
89. Zenger, T., & Lawrence, B. 1989. Organizational demography: The differential effects of age and tenure distributions on technical communication. Academy of Management Journal, 32(2): 353-376.