Activating Cross-border Brokerage: Interorganizational Knowledge Transfer through Skilled Return Migration

Administrative Science Quarterly

Volumn 60, Issue 1, 2015, Pages 133-176

  Wang, Dan ^a  

^a The Sanford C Bernstein Co Center for Leadership and Ethics   (United States)

Author keywords

brokerage; employee mobility; knowledge transfer; return migration

Indexed keywords

EID: 84922695310     PISSN: 00018392     EISSN: 19303815     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0001839214551943     Document Type: Article

References (123)

1. Adler N. J.Re-entry: Managing cross-cultural transitions.Group and Organization Studies. 1981;6:341-356
2. Adler P. S.,Kwon S.Social capital: Prospects for a new concept.Academy of Management Review. 2002;27:17-40
3. Ahuja G.Collaboration networks, structural holes, and innovation: A longitudinal study.Administrative Science Quarterly. 2000;45:425-455
4. AlmeidaP.1996 “Knowledge sourcing by foreign multinationals: Patent citation analysis in the U.S. semiconductor industry.” Strategic Management Journal, 17: 155–165.
5. Almeida P.,Kogut B.Localization of knowledge and the mobility of engineers in regional networks.Management Science. 1999;45:905-917
6. Ambos T. C.,Ambos B.The impact of distance on knowledge transfer effectiveness in multinational corporations.Journal of International Management. 2009;15:1-14
7. Argote L.,Ingram P.Knowledge transfer: A basis for competitive advantage in firms.Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 2000;81:150-169
8. Au K. Y.,Fukuda J.Boundary spanning behaviors of expatriates.Journal of World Business. 2002;37:285-296
9. AzoulayP.GraffJ. S.SampatZivin B. N.2011 “The diffusion of scientific knowledge across time and space: Evidence from professional transitions for the superstars of medicine.” NBER Working Paper No. 16683.
10. Bechky B. A.Sharing meaning across occupational communities: The transformation of understanding on a production floor.Organization Science. 2003;14:312-330
11. Berry H.,Guillén M. F.,Zhou N.An institutional approach to cross-national distance.Journal of International Business Studies. 2010;41:1460-1480
12. Berthoin Antal A.Expatriates’ contributions to organizational learning.Journal of General Management. 2001;26 (4): 62-84
13. Borjas G. J.,Bratsberg B.Who leaves? The outmigration of the foreign-born.Review of Economics and Statistics. 1996;78:165-176
14. Bovenkerk F.Publications of the Research Group for European Migration Problems. The Hague, Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff; 1979:
15. Bovenkerk F.Why returnees generally do not turn out to be ‘agents of change’: The case of Suriname.New West Indian Guide (Nieuwe West-Indische Gids). 1981;55 (3/4): 154-173
16. Brewer M. B.The social self: On being the same and different at the same time.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 1991;17:475-482
17. Brown P.,Green A.,Lauder H.Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2001:
18. Burt R. S.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; 1992:
19. Burt R. S.The contingent value of social capital.Administrative Science Quarterly. 1997;42:339-365
20. Burt R. S.Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2005:
21. Burt R. S.,Hogarth R. M.,Michaud C.The social capital of French and American managers.Organization Science. 2000;11:123-147
22. Buskens V.,van de Rijt A.Dynamics of networks if everyone strives for structural holes.American Journal of Sociology. 2008;114:371-407
23. Campbell E. K.Attitudes of Botswana citizens toward immigrants: Signs of xenophobia?.” International Migration. 2003;41 (4): 71-111
24. Chaparro F.,Jaramillo H.,Quintero V.Diaspora Networks and the International Migration of Skills: How Countries Can Draw on Their Talent Abroad. Kuznetsov Y., ed. Washington, DC: World Bank; 2006:187-198.
25. Chen Y.”. Center on China’s Transnational Relations, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; 2007:
26. Choudhury P.Knowledge creation in multinationals and return migration of inventors: Evidence from micro data.Academy of Management Annual Conference, Best Paper Proceedings; 2010; 2010.
27. Choudry A.,Hanley J.,Jordan S.,Shragge E.,Stiegman M.Halifax, Canada: Fernwood Publishing; 2009:
28. Cohen W. M.,Bacdayan P.Organizational routines are stored as procedural memory: Evidence from a laboratory study.Organization Science. 1994;5:554-568
29. Cohen W. M.,Levinthal D.Absorptive capacity: A new perspective on learning and innovation.Administrative Science Quarterly. 1990;35:128-152
30. Cox A.,Marchington M.,Suter J.Employee involvement and participation: Developing the concept of institutional embeddedness using WERS2004.International Journal of Human Resource Management. 2009;20:2150-2168
31. Dai O.,Liu X.Returnee entrepreneurs and firm performance in Chinese high-technology industries.International Business Review. 2009;18:373-386
32. Darr E.,Kurtzberg T.An investigation of partner similarity dimensions on knowledge transfer.Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 2000;82:28-44
33. Djelic M.Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1998:
34. Dokko G.,Rosenkopf L.Social capital for hire? Mobility of technical professionals and firm influence in wireless standards committees.Organization Science. 2010;21:677-695
35. Dubin J. A.,Rivers D.Modern Methods of Data Analysis. Fox J.Long J. S., ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage; 1990:410-442.
36. Dumont J.,Spielvogel G.International Migration Outlook. Paris: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development; 2008 2008:161-222.
37. Dustmann C.,Weiss Y.Return migration: Theory and empirical evidence.University College London, Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration, Discussion Paper Series. 2007;:0702
38. The Economist2012Democracy Index 2012: Democracy at a standstill. http://www.eiu.com (last accessed on March 31, 2014).
39. Felps W.,Mitchell T. R.,Hekman D. R.,Lee T. W.,Holtom B. C.,Harman W. S.Turnover contagion: How coworkers’ job embeddedness and job search behaviors influence quitting.Academy of Management Journal. 2000;52:545-561
40. Filatotchev I.,Liu X.,Lu J.,Wright M.Knowledge spillovers through human mobility across national borders: Evidence from Zhongguancun Science Park in China.Research Policy. 2011;40:453-462
41. Frenkel S.The embedded character of workplace relations.Work and Occupations. 2003;30:135-153
42. Furuya M.,Stevens M. J.,Bird A.,Oddou G.,Mendenhall M. E.Managing the learning and transfer of global management competence: Antecedents and outcomes of Japanese repatriation effectiveness.Journal of International Business Studies. 2009;40:200-215
43. Gaw K. F.Reverse culture shock in students returning from overseas.International Journal of Intercultural Relations. 2000;24:83-104
44. Granovetter M.Economic action and social structure: The problem of embeddedness.American Journal of Sociology. 1985;91:481-510
45. Groysberg B.,Lee L.Hiring stars and their colleagues: Exploration and exploitation in professional service firms.Organization Science. 2009;20:740-758
46. Guillén M. F.Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 1994:
47. Guler I. I.,Guillén M.Social networks and foreign expansion.Academy of Management Journal. 2010;53:390-410
48. Hamel G.Competition for competence and interpartner learning within international strategic alliances.Strategic Management Journal. 1991;12 (S1): 83-103
49. Hansen M. T.The search-transfer problem: The role of weak ties in sharing knowledge across organization subunits.Administrative Science Quarterly. 1999;44:82-111
50. HaradaM.2012 “GSA: Stata module to perform generalized sensitivity analysis.” Working paper,:http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:boc:bocode:s457497 (last accessed on March 31, 2014).
51. Heckman J.Sample selection bias as a specification error.Econometrica. 1979;47:153-161
52. Hedberg B.New York: Oxford University Press; 1991:
53. Hirshon J. M.,Eng T. R.,Brunkow K. A.,Hartzell N.Psychological and readjustment problems associated with emergency evacuation of Peace Corps volunteers.Journal of Travel Medicine. 1997;4 (3): 128-131
54. Hjerm M.national pride and xenophobia: A comparison of four western countries.” Acta Sociologica; 1998:335-347.
55. Hjerm M.xenophobia, and nationalism: A comparative analysis.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies; 2001:37-60.
56. Imbens G. W.Sensitivity to the exogeneity assumption.American Economic Review. 2003;93:126-132
57. Ingram P.,Roberts P.Friendships among competitors in the Sydney hotel industry.American Journal of Sociology. 2000;106:387-423
58. Inkpen A. C.,Tsang E. W. K.Social capital, networks, and knowledge transfer.Academy of Management Review. 2005;30:146-165
59. Iskander N.,Lowe N.The transformers: Immigration and tacit knowledge development.NYU Wagner Research Paper No. 2011;:2011-01
60. JaffeA. B.TrajtenbergM.HendersonR.1993 “Geographic localization of knowledge spillovers as evidenced by patent citations.” Quarterly Journal of Economics, 108: 577–598.
61. Joardar A.,Kostova T.,Ravlin E. C.An experimental study of the acceptance of a foreign newcomer into a workgroup.Journal of International Management. 2007;13:513-537
62. Jonkers K.,Tussen R.Chinese researchers returning home: Impacts of international mobility on research collaboration and scientific productivity.Scientometrics. 2008;77:309-333
63. Kane A. A.Unlocking knowledge transfer potential: Knowledge demonstrability and superordinate social identity.Organization Science. 2009;21:643-660
64. Kane A. A.,Argote L.,Levine J. M.Knowledge transfer between groups via personnel rotation: Effect of social identity and knowledge quality.Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 2005;96:56-71
65. Kedia B. L.,Bhagat R. S.Cultural constraints on transfer of technology across nations: Implications for research in international and comparative management.Academy of Management Review. 1988;13:459-571
66. Kenney M.,Breznitz D.,Murphree M.Coming back home after the sun rises: Returnee entrepreneurs and the growth of high tech industries.Research Policy. 2013;42:391-407
67. Kerr W. R.,Lincoln W. F.The supply side of innovation: H-1B Visa reforms and U.S. ethnic invention.Journal of Labor Economics. 2010;28:473-508
68. Kirkman B. L.,Lowe K. B.,Gibson C. B.A quarter century of culture’s consequences: A review of empirical research incorporating Hofstede’s cultural value framework.Journal of International Business Studies. 2006;37:285-320
69. Kogut B.,Macpherson J. M.The mobility of economists and the diffusion of policy ideas: The influence of economics on national practices.Research Policy. 2011;40:1307-1320
70. Kogut B.,Singh H.The effect of national culture on the choice of entry mode.Journal of International Business Studies. 1988;19:411-432
71. Kostova T.Transnational transfer of strategic organizational practices: A contextual perspective.Academy of Management Review. 1999;24:308-324
72. Kostova T.,Roth K.Adoption of organizational practice by subsidiaries of multinational corporations: Institutional and relational effects.Academy of Management Journal. 2002;45:215-233
73. Kuznetsov Y.,Sabel C.Diaspora Networks and the International Migration of Skills: How Countries Can Draw on Their Talent Abroad. Kuznetsov Y., ed. Washington, DC: World Bank; 2006:3-20.
74. Lazarova M.,Tarique I.Knowledge transfer upon repatriation.Journal of World Business. 2005;40:361-373
75. Levin D. Z.,Cross R.The strength of weak ties you can trust: The mediating role of trust in effective knowledge transfer.Management Science. 2004;50:1477-1490
76. Luthans F.,Welsh D. B.,Rosenkrantz S. A.What do Russian managers really do? An observational study with comparisons to U.S. managers.Journal of International Business Studies. 1993;24:741-761
77. Ma R.,Huang Y.,Shenkar O.Social networks and opportunity recognition: A cultural comparison between Taiwan and the United States.Strategic Management Journal. 2011;32:1183-1205
78. Marx M.,Strumsky D.,Fleming L.Mobility, skills, and the Michigan non-compete experiment.Management Science. 2009;55:875-889
79. MayrK.PeriG.2008 “Return migration as a channel of brain gain.” NBER Working Papers 14039.
80. McEvily B.,Zaheer A.Bridging ties: A source of firm heterogeneity in competitive capabilities.Strategic Management Journal. 1999;20:1133-1156
81. Mountford A.Can a brain drain be good for growth in the source economy?.” Journal of Development Economics. 1997;53:287-303
82. Nelson R. R.,Winter S. G.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; 1982:
83. Newman K.,Nollen S. D.Culture and congruence: The fit between management practices and national culture.Journal of International Business Studies. 1996;27:753-779
84. Obukhova E.”. Social Science Research Network; 2012:
85. Oddou G.,Osland J.,Blakeney R.Repatriating knowledge: Variables influencing the ‘transfer’ process.Journal of International Business Studies. 2009;40:181-199
86. Phillips K. W.,Liljenquist K. A.,Neale M. A.Is the pain worth the gain? The advantages and liabilities of agreeing with socially distinct newcomers.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 2009;35:336-350
87. Podolny J. M.Networks as the pipes and prisms of the market.American Journal of Sociology. 2001;107:33-60
88. Podolny J. M.,Baron J. N.Resources and relationships: Social networks and mobility in the workplace.American Sociological Review. 1997;62:673-693
89. Podsakoff P. M.,MacKenzie S. B.,Lee J.Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies.Journal of Applied Psychology. 2003;88:879-903
90. Podsakoff P. M.,MacKenzie S. B.,Moorman R.,Fetter R.The impact of transformational leader behaviors on employee trust, satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviors.Leadership Quarterly. 1990;1:107-142
91. Potter R. B.gifted and back: Second-generation transnational return migrants to the Caribbean.” Progress in Development Studies; 2005:213-236.
92. Powell W. W.,DiMaggio P. J.Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 1991:
93. Powell W. W.,Koput K. W.,Smith-Doerr L.Interorganizational collaboration and the locus of innovation: Networks of learning in biotechnology.Administrative Science Quarterly. 1996;41:116-145
94. Reagans R.,McEvily B.Network structure and knowledge transfer: The effects of cohesion and range.Administrative Science Quarterly. 2003;48:240-267
95. Reagans R. E.,Zuckerman E. W.Why knowledge does not equal power: The network redundancy trade-off.Industrial and Corporate Change. 2008;17:903-944
96. Rink F.,Kane A. A.,Ellemers N.,Van der Vegt G. S.Team receptivity to newcomers: Five decades of evidence and future research themes.Academy of Management Annals. 2013;7 (1): 245-291
97. Rohrlich B. I.,Martin J. N.Host country and reentry adjustment of student sojourners.International Journal of Intercultural Relations. 1991;15:163-182
98. Rosenbaum P. R.,Rubin D. B.Assessing sensitivity to an unobserved binary covariate in an observational study with binary outcome.Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series B. 1983;45 (2): 212-218
99. Ryall M. D.,Sorenson O.Brokers and competitive advantage.Management Science. 2007;53:566-583
100. Saxenian A.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; 2006:
101. Shin G.Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press; 2006:
102. Singh J.Collaborative networks as determinants of knowledge diffusion patterns.Management Science. 2005;51:756-770
103. Song J.,Almeida P.,Wu G.Learning-by-hiring: When is mobility more likely to facilitate interfirm knowledge transfer?.” Management Science. 2003;49:351-365
104. Soylu A.Foreigners and workplace stress.Journal of Individual Employment Rights. 2007;12:313-327
105. Stinchcombe A. L.Handbook of Organizations. March J. G., ed. Chicago: Rand McNally; 1965:142-193.
106. Szkudlarek B.Reentry—A review of the literature.International Journal of Intercultural Relations. 2010;34:1-21
107. Szulanski G.Exploring internal stickiness: Impediments to the transfer of best practice within the firm.Strategic Management Journal. 1996;17:27-43
108. Szulanski G.The process of knowledge transfer: A diachronic analysis of stickiness.Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 2000;82:9-27
109. Tajfel H.,Turner J. C.The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Austin W. G.Worchel S., ed. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole; 1979:33-47.
110. Tsai W.Knowledge transfer in intra-organizational networks: Effects of network position and absorptive capacity on business unit innovation and performance.Academy of Management Journal. 2001;44:996-1004
111. Tsai W.,Ghoshal S.Social capital and value creation: The role of interfirm networks.Academy of Management Journal. 1998;41:464-476
112. Tung R. L.,Lazarova M.Brain drain versus brain gain: An exploratory study of ex-host country nationals in Central and East Europe.International Journal of Human Resource Management. 2006;17:1853-1872
113. Tushman M. L.Special boundary roles in the innovation process.Administrative Science Quarterly. 1977;22:587-605
114. Uzzi B.The sources and consequences of embeddedness for the economic performance of organizations: The network effect.American Sociological Review. 1996;61:674-698
115. Uzzi B.,Lancaster R.The role of relationships in interfirm knowledge transfer and learning: The case of corporate debt markets.Management Science. 2003;49:383-399
116. van Emmerik H.,Sanders K.Social embeddedness and job performance of tenured and non-tenured professionals.Human Resource Management Journal. 2004;14:40-54
117. Vasudeva G.,Zaheer A.,Hernandez E.The embeddedness of networks: Institutions, structural holes, and innovativeness in the fuel cell industry.Organization Science. 2013;24:645-663
118. Wezel F. C.,Cattani G.,Pennings J. M.Competitive implications of interfirm mobility.Organization Science. 2006;17:691-709
119. Winter S. G.Policy Research. World Bank; 1995:
120. World Values Survey2013 “Introduction to the World Values Survey.” http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/wvs/articles/folder_published/article_base_46 (last accessed October 1, 2013).
121. Xiao Z.,Tsui A. S.When brokers not work: The cultural contingency of social capital in Chinese high-tech firms.Administrative Science Quarterly. 2007;52:1-31
122. Zelner B. A.Using simulation to interpret results from logit, probit, and other non-linear models.Strategic Management Journal. 2009;30:1335-1348
123. Zucker L. G.,Darby M. R.,Brewer M. B.Intellectual capital and the birth of U.S. biotechnology enterprises.American Economic Review. 1999;88:290-306