Drivers of Motivation in Headquarters-Subsidiary Capability Transfers within the MNC

Abstract

Research on capability transfers in multinational corporations has since its start highlighted the motivation of the recipient as an important driver of successful transfers. However, while another key driver of transfer success, i.e., absorptive capacity, has attracted enough attention from research to become a field of its own, motivation has repeatedly been seen as a simple and straight-forward construct. So, while motivation has over again been identified as a main driver of transfer success, how it become such an important driver has received little attention. Consequently, we know little about what actually drives the motivation of recipients in transfers. Utilizing an inductive multiple-case study, we explore how the motivation of eight receiving units in the transfer of the same capability from headquarters to subsidiaries in a multinational corporation is influenced by various aspects of the transfer process. We contribute to the transfer literature by identifying how different aspects of the transfer process drive recipient motivation at different stages. The findings suggest that recipient motivation in transfers is not so much a static as a dynamic process, with important implications for theory and future research.