Host Country Nationals Research Articles

Knowledge Sharing vs. Knowledge Appropriation: A Case Study of Contingent Relationships in the Role of Boundary Spanners in Asian Subsidiaries of Japanese Multi-National Enterprises

In recent decades, Asian subsidiaries of Japanese manufacturing multi-national enterprises (MNEs) have faced heightened competitions from local firms to underscore the strategic importance of developing competent “host country nationals” (HCNs) to overcome their liability of foreignness. In addition, in recent literature on global MNEs, the importance of “boundary spanners” (BSs) has been pointed out in facilitating knowledge sharing across intra-organizational boundaries. Given these discussions, this study focuses on an interesting contingent relationship in the role of BSs observed in author’s interviews. i.e., In cases of “bad BSs,” “knowledge appropriation” can take place where newly promoted HCNs would monopolize their knowledge and information, and the mitigating processes of notion gap problem in grey areas management are heavily stagnated. Whereas in cases of “good BSs,” “knowledge sharing” would take place where newly promoted HCNs would be willing to share them with other members, and the mitigating processes of the notion gap problem are steadily progressed. The study proposes a framework illustrating conditions under which HCNs choose knowledge sharing over appropriation. The analysis identifies two key factors influencing this choice: dependence on personal skills and prospects for growth opportunities. The findings suggest a dynamic relationship where knowledge sharing leads to effective control and efficient knowledge transfer, fostering virtuous cycles, while knowledge appropriation results in inefficiencies, creating vicious cycles. The study calls for further research on dynamic aspects of this contingent relationship and suggests practical strategies for shifting from knowledge appropriation to sharing, thereby enhancing organizational performance in foreign subsidiaries.

Enhancing knowledge sharing of host-country nationals in foreign subsidiaries: Does cultural intelligence matter?

The knowledge of host-country nationals who work in the foreign subsidiaries of multinationals is a crucial strategic resource for their employers. This study explored the role that cultural intelligence plays in employees' knowledge sharing within a cross-cultural workplace context. Building on social identity theory, this study developed a theoretical framework to explore how hostcountry nationals' cultural intelligence could enhance their knowledge sharing via increasing their social identity, and further investigated the mediating role of host-country nationals' relationships with expatriates and identification with their organization. Using survey data from 412 host-country nationals working for 16 foreign subsidiaries in South Korea, I found that cultural intelligence directly predicted knowledge sharing. The results support and extend the extant literature and provide practical implications for multinationals regarding the management of host-country nationals.

Virtual expatriate assignments and host country national support: The role of higher-level construals in social categorization processes

Although extant research on expatriate management has explored the drivers of host country nationals’ (HCNs’) support for expatriates in traditional physical work environments, there is limited understanding in the context of virtual expatriate assignments. This necessitates further theorizing that departs from the presupposition that HCNs and expatriates interact physically. It integrates the particularities of working virtually to understand if and how the virtual context affects the provision of HCN support for expatriates, and whether related social categorization and identification processes work differently as part of virtual assignments. We draw on social identity and construal level theory and develop a conceptual model explaining the emergence of three types of HCN support that virtual assignees can receive, i.e., emotional support, appraisal support, and informational job support. We focus on the interplay between social categorization mechanisms and higher-level construals and, thus, more interpersonal neutrality and social disengagement originating from the virtual work context. We contribute by deriving a set of propositions that outlines the varied consequences of performing the expatriate job role virtually, with a particular focus on the provision of different types of support for expatriates by HCN co-workers.

When and why host country nationals give advice to expatriates: A relational work context perspective

This study advances our understanding of how a relational work context can promote host country nationals’ (HCNs’) advice-giving behavior. Drawing from social interdependence theory and relational signalling theory, we develop a multilevel model to demonstrate how task interdependence and expatriate advice seeking can jointly influence HCNs’ advice giving. Using data from 795 HCNs nested within 159 expatriates, we find that at the HCN level (Level 1), task interdependence facilitates HCNs’ prosocial motivation and advice-giving behavior. Also, at the expatriate level (Level 2), task interdependence facilitates expatriates’ advice-seeking behavior, which further has a cross-level interaction effect with HCNs’ task interdependence in predicting HCNs’ prosocial motivation and ultimate advice-seeking behavior. We discuss the implications for theory and practice.

Self-initiated expatriates in China: multicultural personality traits, frequency of interaction and host country nationals’ satisfaction with SIE performance

Drawing from socioanalytic theory and intergroup contact hypothesis, this study investigates the relationship across self-initiated expatriates’ (SIEs’) multicultural personality traits and host country nationals’ (HCNs’) satisfaction with SIE performance in China. Findings based on dyadic matched data from 101 SIEs and HCN co-workers suggest that four of the multicultural personality traits (cultural empathy, flexibility, social initiative, emotional stability) are positively related to HCNs’ satisfaction with SIE performance. Only SIEs’ open-mindedness did not exert an influence on HCNs’ satisfaction with SIE performance. Furthermore, frequency of interaction between the SIE and their HCN co-worker moderated the relation between two of the multicultural personality traits (cultural empathy, emotional stability) and the outcome variable. Analyses imply that if frequency of interaction is low, cultural empathy and emotional stability exert a stronger influence on HCNs’ satisfaction with SIE performance. Our findings contribute to the existing literature by providing deeper insights into the dynamics of expatriate personality and working conditions and how they inform HCNs’ satisfaction with SIE performance.

Working Remotely, Feeling Remote? The Role of Digitally Mediated Communication in Shaping the Identity of Virtual Expatriates.

Utilizing the social identity theory, this conceptual article has proposed how digitally mediated communication between expatriates and host country nationals (HCNs) in a remote work arrangement is linked with individualized change experiences of virtual expatriates. The conceptualized model proposes that the lack of in-depth conversations via virtual communication platforms leads to the development of weak emotional interactions between virtual expatriates and HCNs. However, weakened emotional interactions might result in positive or negative impact on expatriates' identity based on personality-based differences. In this regard, expatriates with collective self-esteem are likely to experience social identity threats because of weakened social ties with HCNs. Contrary to the above group, expatriates having personal self-esteem would view weak socialization as an opportunity and experience an improvement in their leader identity, thus experience a positive social identity change over time. This research has conceptually explored outcomes of digitally mediated communication between expatriates and HCNs on the identity change experiences of expatriates, and holistically covers the role of positive as well as negative change experiences. Unlike the focus of the majority of literature on traditional expatriation, the proposed model has focused on experiences of virtual expatriates, and how working in remote work settings lead to long-term socio-psychological changes in these individuals.

Host country nationals and cultural intelligence: from two distant scholarly conversations to a joint line of inquiry

PurposeThe stand-alone scholarly conversations on host-country nationals (HCNs) and cultural intelligence (CQ) have developed over decades but have remained distant from each other. This paper aims to bridge them and explain why such a link can offer an initial understanding of HCNs’ CQ and yield new insights that could enrich and extend existing knowledge in the two literature streams.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper establishes a set of arguments that explain why and how the scholarly conversations on HCNs and CQ can be bridged. The authors supplement these arguments with three specific avenues for research that can guide new scholarly inquiry. Each avenue is accompanied with specific research questions that the authors find promising for generating new insights into issues related to HCNs’ CQ.FindingsThe two scholarly conversations that the authors link are strong, vibrant and mature. Each has yielded substantial conceptual and theoretical insights and produced rich empirical evidence. They have, however, remained relatively separate from each other. To bring them together, the authors propose three avenues by considering the role of HCNs’ CQ: in their cultural adjustment, for knowledge sharing and when supporting expatriates. The authors outline the implications of such studies for HCNs’ careers, performance and well-being, for the subsidiaries that constitute their immediate work environment and, for multinational corporations as HCNs’ broader organizational settings.Originality/valueCQ is an important enabler of effective intercultural interactions in culturally diverse settings, precisely the types of encounters that HCNs have with their expatriate colleagues. Surprisingly, the HCN literature has not crossed paths with CQ research in a substantial manner. The authors rectify this by establishing that bridging the two conversations is meaningful and has a high potential for deepening the understanding of HCNs’ CQ as an under-researched but important phenomenon.

Knowledge sharing between self-initiated expatriates and host country nationals: a dyadic investigation

ABSTRACT We investigate knowledge sharing between self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) and host country nationals (HCNs) based on theoretical insights from social exchange and self-categorisation theories. In particular, we examine the interplay between the quality of the exchange relationship vested in cognition- and affect-based trust, along with intercultural group climate, and evaluate whether differences in the assessments made by participants impact the outcomes of their knowledge sharing. Our findings, derived from a dyadic study of 101 SIEs and 101 HCNs in China, indicate that affect-based trust fully mediates the association between cognition-based trust and knowledge sharing between SIEs and HCNs. Furthermore, intercultural group climate moderates the mediating effects of cognition-based trust on knowledge sharing via affect-based trust, although not in the hypothesised direction. Our contribution to knowledge management research lies in deepening the insights into how the quality of the exchange relationship between SIEs and HCNs affects the knowledge sharing process.

Unlocking subsidiary performance: exploring the impact of subsidiary TMT composition, PCN tenure and subsidiary age

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between subsidiary manager’s demographic characteristics and performance, while incorporating the subsidiary context. We draw upon upper echelon theories and International Business theories to understand this relationship.Design/methodology/approachUsing a dataset based on listed Multinational subsidiaries in India we use linear regression to establish the relationship between subsidiary external performance (host market performance), subsidiary internal performance and subsidiary manager’s demographic characteristics.FindingsWith our data set we find a positive relationship between percentage of host country nationals (HCN) in the Top Management Team (TMT) and subsidiary host market performance and that subsidiary age moderates this relationship. We also find an inverted U-shaped relationship between parent country nationals (PCN) tenure and subsidiary performance.Research limitations/implicationsOne of the limitations is that our study views the strategy process through the Upper Echelons (UE) theory lens, as a clearly specified planning process that associates strategy with intentionality. The opportunity that emanates at lower levels can turn an intended strategy into something different than what was started.Practical implicationsThe findings in this paper can be the basis for decision making on the constitution of leadership teams.Originality/valueThere is a dearth of empirical evidence and studies on TMTs in the subsidiary, particularly from the non-North American context. Using a unique data set of listed multinational subsidiaries in India, the paper explores the impact of TMT demographics such as tenure of the TMT and age of the subsidiary operations on the performance of the subsidiary.

Expatriate voice: The effects of nationality and social status

AbstractThe expression of voice is valuable for organisations and individuals but most of what we know about voice is drawn from western contexts. This paper focuses on why, how and on what issues expatriates speak up. Examining voice in the multinational context of the United Arab Emirates allows us to develop a more in‐depth understanding of national, organisational, and individual factors that influence voice. Interviews with 71 expatriates and 29 host country nationals show that expatriates' social status influences their attitude and behaviour towards voice and that informal structures and social networks in organisations are important in understanding expatriates' voice behaviours. The overlapping categories of expatriates from non‐western countries and expatriates in low‐status jobs take a wider view of their situation and are as a result less likely to use voice in the workplace.

Foreign language proficiency, career behaviors, and turnover‐related outcomes: A social cognitive career theory perspective of host country national employees in foreign subsidiaries

AbstractWhile the majority of employees in foreign subsidiaries are host country nationals (HCNs) who use English as a second language in their work tasks, little research focuses on the impact of English proficiency on their career‐related behaviors and outcomes. This paper applies social cognitive career theory (SCCT) to link HCN employees' English proficiency to their career‐related behaviors and outcomes in two time‐lagged studies in foreign subsidiaries. Study 1 conducted with 542 HCN employees in the Philippines suggests that career environment exploration mediates the positive English proficiency–turnover intention relationship. Study 2 conducted with 493 HCN employees in Japan suggests self‐initiated headhunter contacts to mediate the positive English proficiency–voluntary turnover relationship and job embeddedness moderate the self‐initiated headhunter contact‐turnover relationship.

Expatriate academics’ adjustment experience at a higher education institution in South Africa

Orientation: Expatriate academics in higher education institutions (HEIs) face several socio-cultural and integration challenges that significantly influence their adjustment. Insufficient support and a non-conducive environment hamper their well-being.Research purpose: This study aims to describe the adjustment experiences of expatriate academics at a HEI in South Africa. Recommendations are made towards creating an enabling environment in which expatriate academics can better facilitate adjustment.Motivation for the study: This study aimed to compete globally, HEIs appoint international academics with scarce skills to enhance their teaching, learning, and research. Expatriate academics are driven by push and pull factors when accepting international opportunities. Entering an unfamiliar environment, implies disruption on a psychosocial, socio-economic and job adjustment level, and if not well-supported results in maladjustment affecting expatriate well-being and job performance.Research design, approach and method: An interpretive, qualitative approach was adopted. Five purposively selected expatriate academics partook in semi-structured interviews and the data were analysed through content analysis.Main findings: A lack of employer support and cultural diversity factors impede participants’ ability to adjust at work and in the community. Having grit and being resourceful in overcoming challenges resulted in better adjustment.Practical/managerial implications: Facilitating collaborative relationships between expatriates and host country nationals, and using supportive services and resources will enable better adjustment.Contribution/value-add: Expatriate academics share their lived experiences of what hindered their adjustment and several recommendations are made to HEIs and foreign academics towards creating an enabling environment promoting adjustment.

Attachment and adjustment in expatriate reactions to the 2011 Tohoku disasters

PurposeThis study aims to develop an extended social attachment model for expatriates, integrating a multiple stakeholder perspective, to understand evacuation decisions during disasters.Design/methodology/approachThrough interviews with 12 Tokyo-based expatriates who experienced the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters, this study collects the lived experiences of a diverse set of expatriates. This data is analyzed abductively to map relevant evacuation factors and to propose a reaction typology.FindingsWhile the 2011 Tohoku disasters caused regional destruction and fears of nuclear fallout, Tokyo remained largely unscathed. Still, many expatriates based in Tokyo chose to leave the country. Evacuation decisions were shaped by an interplay of threat assessment, location of attachment figures and cross-cultural adjustment. The study also discusses the influence of expatriate types.Practical implicationsDisaster planning is often overlooked or designed primarily with host country nationals in mind. Expatriates often lack the disaster experience and readiness of host country nationals in disaster-prone regions in Asia and beyond, and thus might need special attention when disaster strikes. This study provides advice for how to do so.Originality/valueBy unpacking the under-researched and complex phenomenon of expatriate reactions to disasters, this study contributes to the fields of international human resource and disaster management. Specifically, seven proposition on casual links leading to expatriate evacuation are suggested, paving the way for future research.

Host Country Nationals' Role Overload and Perspective Taking as Antecedents of Knowledge Sharing: The Moderating Role of Host Country nationals' Agreeableness

Host country nationals (HCNs) possess unique and valuable knowledge which is critical to expatriate and multinational company (MNC) success. Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, we explore the negative effect of role overload on HCNs' knowledge sharing toward expatriates. Using two waves of data collected from 512 HCNs, we find HCNs' role overload inhibits their knowledge sharing behavior via perspective taking. The results also show that HCNs' personality agreeableness buffers the negative relationship between role overload and perspective taking. Our study provides significant theoretical and practical implications to expatriate literature.

Transposed identity negotiation

International students negotiate various intersecting identities while studying abroad. When an international student moves into the new spatial context of their host country, the student’s intersectional identity is perceived with degrees of marginalization or privilege by host country nationals that conflict with the student’s understanding of their identities in their home context. Existing frameworks from various theoretical traditions describe how students experience identity negotiation and construction, yet there is no synthesized conceptualization of how students negotiate identity when intersectional identities are relocated, or transposed, into a new spatial context.

Filling talent shortages with foreign students? Understanding foreign exchange students’ willingness to work for host-country organizations

Foreign exchange students can serve as a valuable talent pool for host-country organizations. This study draws on the ability-motivation-opportunity framework and the intergroup contact theory to examine how foreign exchange students’ motivation to study abroad, host-country language ability, and direct and indirect contact opportunities with host-country nationals are related to their willingness to work for host-country organizations. Data were collected from a multi-wave survey of 167 foreign exchange students in Germany. Providing support for our hypotheses, the results suggest that foreign exchange students’ motivation to study abroad was positively related to direct contact opportunities (e.g. interacting with locals). Further, exchange students’ host-country language ability was positively related to indirect contact opportunities (e.g. visiting cultural sights), which in turn was positively related to their willingness to work for host-country organizations. Opportunities for direct interpersonal contact were not significantly related to willingness to work for host-country organizations. The results also show two-way and three-way interactions among host-country ability, motivation to study abroad, and indirect contact opportunities in predicting exchange students’ willingness to work for host-country organizations. Implications for theory, management practice, and policymaking are discussed.

Sailing through the international assignment: exploring the role of perceived credibility in expatriate adjustment and socialization process in the host country

PurposeThe extant literature on expatriate adjustment primarily highlights the role of host country nationals (HCNs) in supporting expatriates during international assignments. However, there is a dearth of research exploring the expatriates’ socialization process in establishing interpersonal relationships with HCNs. Additionally, the pivotal element of expatriates seeking credible HCN sources, fundamental for fostering these relationships for adjustment, remains largely unexamined in the context of expatriate literature. Thus, this study addresses these gaps by proposing a conceptual model to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the expatriate adjustment process.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper draws upon the theoretical framework of social identity theory to elucidate how socialization processes initiated by the parent organization and the expatriate shape the expatriate’s perception of HCN credibility. This perception, in turn, serves as the foundation for building a robust support system, ultimately leading to expatriate adjustment.FindingsThe proposed model explores the nuanced dimensions of expatriate adjustment, emphasizing the complex dynamics between expatriates and host country nationals during individualized socialization. This model aims to assess the credibility of HCNs in the eyes of expatriates and understand the role of the institutionalized socialization process. Further, the model investigates the influence of perceived similarity traits in the examined relationship, shedding light on the interplay of these factors and their impact on the expatriate’s adjustment to the international assignment.Practical implicationsThe study’s findings offer practical insights for organizations looking to enhance their support systems for expatriates, emphasizing the importance of nurturing interpersonal relationships and the credibility of HCNs.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the expatriate literature by shedding light on the often-overlooked interpersonal relationship between expatriates and HCNs. Doing so opens new avenues for further research, offering a fresh perspective on the expatriate adjustment process.

Being specific: Exploring acculturation in work and private settings.

Adopting a comprehensive approach, we examined immigrants' actual and ideal acculturation, as well as host-country nationals' (HCNs) immigrant acculturation perceptions and preferences in terms of behaviors, values, and identities in work and private settings. We examined any differences within and across settings for each group. Participants included 428 Hispanic immigrants and 662 HCNs in the United States. We used a 2 × 2 × 2 repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to examine whether differences for each group exist within and across work and private settings. Both within and across settings, Hispanic immigrants' actual and ideal acculturation did not differ. The only exception to this pattern involved heritage practices and identities across settings. In contrast, HCNs perceived and preferred Hispanic immigrants to acculturate differently both within and across work and private settings. The only exception to this pattern involved preferences of adopting U.S. national values and identities across settings. Taking a more comprehensive approach to study acculturation allows a more accurate picture on how immigrants acculturate and HCNs' perceptions and preferences of such acculturation, which is critical in understanding intercultural relations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Do expatriates adjust better when they seek advice from host country nationals? Role of perceived social costs and organizational support in advice-seeking

Our study examines the impact of perceived organizational support (POS) and perceived social costs (PSC) in advice-seeking on the relationship between expatriate advice-seeking from host country nationals (HCNs) and expatriate adjustment. We conducted two studies: (1) a field study with survey data collected from Indian expatriates in the U.S. and (2) an experimental study. Findings from our research reveal a significant three-way interaction between expatriate advice-seeking, POS, and PSC. Specifically, the moderating effect of POS was more pronounced among expatriates perceiving low social costs in seeking advice from HCNs. PSC emerged as a significant barrier to expatriate adjustment, outweighing the positive effects of high POS. However, when expatriates perceive low PSC in advice-seeking, organizational support becomes more effective compared to situations with high perceived social costs. This research advances the understanding of expatriate coping and organizational support theory by highlighting the boundary conditions of POS in facilitating expatriate adjustment.

The origin and nationality of general manager successors in local-market-seeking MNE subsidiaries

The extant literature suggests that it is sensible to deploy a host-country national (HCN) general manager (GM) successor in the local-market-seeking subsidiaries of multinational enterprises. However, limited attention has been paid to whether subsidiary GMs come from outside or inside an organization. By simultaneously considering the nationality and origin of subsidiary GM successors, our case-based study provides a sharper theory of succession decision-making in the context of local-market-seeking subsidiaries. We demonstrated that the use of HCN GMs is not always the best strategy, and can even be the worst option because ex post opportunism may arise for HCN GM successors promoted from within the subsidiary. Using HCNs from outside the subsidiary can limit ex post opportunism but may entail a new bounded reliability issue resulting from identity-based discordance. Our interview data revealed a managerial safeguard, which we term ex ante socialization, to address this issue.