Expatriate characteristics and the stickiness of HRM knowledge transfers

Abstract

In this study, we problematise the role of expatriates in transfers of parent HRM knowledge since expatriates, argued to be key actors in this process, are rarely HR professionals and seldom have much education or experience in HR. In the light of scant empirical research on the impact of individual attributes of expatriates in the transfer of knowledge, this study aimed to identify the characteristics of subsidiary expatriate managers that most affect the ‘stickiness’, or difficulty, of HRM knowledge transfers from multinational firm parent to foreign subsidiaries. The study is based on 86 personal interviews with 60 expatriate managers in 4 British subsidiaries belonging to 4 Taiwanese multinational corporations. The findings reveal how the ability and motivation of expatriates affect transfer stickiness both in terms of their absorptive capacity as an HRM knowledge recipient and their disseminative capacity as an HRM knowledge source.