How Inpatriates Internalize Corporate Values at Headquarters: The Role of Developmental Job Assignments and Psychosocial Mentoring

Sekiguchi, Tomoki; Takeuchi, Norihiko; Takeuchi, Tomokazu; Nakamura, Shiho; Ebisuya, Azusa

doi:10.1007/s11575-019-00401-x

Cited by 14 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…Our study found that some developers helped the expatriates to overcome their uncertainties by providing them with emotional and psychological support during the assignment. It is in the lines of the psychosocial mentoring function where the expatriates are comforted by the developers by helping them cope with the stress associated with the novel work environments (Sekiguchi et al , 2019). The anchors also motivated the expatriates to develop networks and seek out job-related or other cross-cultural information.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining lifelines to thrive: a stage-based need fulfilment network of international assignees

Ray

Maheshwari

2021

JGM

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PurposeThe paper tries to understand the needs of the international assignees across the different stages of expatriation and how different developers in the professional and non-professional sphere render support and advice through these stages.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the authors have interviewed 20 expatriates of various nationalities and tried to understand the various needs of the expatriates across the three initial stages of an assignment.FindingsThe paper finds that four important mentors in an expatriation assignment play multiple need-based mentoring functions at various assignment stages: host country nationals (HCNs), parent country nationals, fellow expatriates and family.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper contributes to the literature on the need-based support rendered to expatriates during an international assignment. The paper, however, does not incorporate the perceptions of other vital stakeholders in the network and their intentions to contribute to the developmental network.Practical implicationsThis paper lays down important practical implications for expatriates and the human resource management (HRM) professionals. This paper urges the practitioners to take a nuanced approach for developing expatriates than a generalized mentoring programme.Originality/valueThis study highlights the changing needs of the international assignees across the stages of an international assignment and demonstrates the important intra-organizational and extra-organizational developers such as family members in the fulfilment of these needs.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining lifelines to thrive: a stage-based need fulfilment network of international assignees

Ray

Maheshwari

2021

JGM

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“…Our research context is Asian MNCs in the Asian region. While early empirical studies on inpatriation offered insights based on data from European and American MNCs (e.g., Cerdin & Sharma, 2014;Harvey & Miceli, 1999;Reiche, 2006Reiche, , 2011, empirical efforts have recently expanded to Asia including Japan and Korea (Froese et al, 2016;Sarabi et al, 2017;Sekiguchi et al, 2019). Because of strong business growth and competitive pressures among global and local players in this region, there are increasing demands for MNCs to devise a more effective global staffing strategy to compete successfully in Asia (Budhwar & Debrah, 2009;Varma & Budhwar, 2013).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recently, Harzing et al (2016) show that expatriates and inpatriates are used to a similar extent: each subsidiary in their sample on average had 1.16 former inpatriates and 1.22 expatriates per 100 employees. There is also growing evidence that inpatriation is a useful means of disseminating and implementing HQ knowledge and shared corporate values throughout the MNC (Froese, Kim, & Eng, 2016;Moeller & Reiche, 2017;Sekiguchi, Takeuchi, Takeuchi, Nakamura, & Ebisuya, 2019). The increasing use of inpatriation might reflect the changed purpose of global staffing from top-down information processing to continuous knowledge creation in MNCs (Nonaka, 1994).…”

Section: Inpatriates As Knowledge Agentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, our study has revealed the specific value of inpatriates as knowledge agents. Existing studies on inpatriation provide useful insights into the various roles and functions of inpatriates, such as increasing diversity and providing a multicultural perspective to HQ (Harvey & Buckley, 1997;, sharing corporate cultural values throughout the MNC (Froese et al, 2016;Gertsen & Soderberg, 2012;Sekiguchi et al, 2019), and transferring knowledge between HQ and subsidiaries (Duvivier et al, 2019;Harzing et al, 2016;Reiche, 2011). However, our knowledge about the specific value that these inpatriate roles contribute to the HQ and subsidiary organizations has been limited, because research examining inpatriation over time has remained scarce to date.…”

Section: Implications For Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

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How does successive inpatriation contribute to subsidiary capability building and subsidiary evolution? An organizational knowledge creation perspective

2022

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Intra-company knowledge transfer is a key source of competitive advantage for multinational companies (MNCs) and this knowledge is usually embedded in individuals. Drawing on organizational knowledge creation theory, we explore how inpatriation contributes to knowledge transfer and, in turn, subsidiary performance. Inpatriation involves the international assignment of employees from an MNC’s foreign subsidiary to its headquarters. Despite increasing attention to the role of inpatriation, we lack a clear understanding of whether and how inpatriates provide value to their subsidiaries after returning from headquarters. Through a qualitative case study of Japanese MNCs, we demonstrate the process through which inpatriates’ knowledge transfer contributes to subsidiary capability building and subsidiary evolution over time, and explain why successive inpatriation is thus critical to enhance subsidiary performance. Our theoretical model highlights the value of inpatriates as knowledge agents, reveals the process through which inpatriates transfer knowledge between HQ and subsidiaries, and provides a more nuanced understanding of the micro-foundations of intra-MNC knowledge transfer processes. Based on these findings, we argue that inpatriation is not merely a staffing method that is complementary to expatriation, but a key practice in its own right to support subsidiaries’ growth and performance.

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“…Inpatriates' intercultural mentoring (formal and informal, peer and hierarchical) is intended to promote international adjustment and new work assignment mastery. This intercultural mentoring also should address increased understanding and identification with the MNC's organizational culture and mindset that are typically felt most at headquarters (Sekiguchi et al. , 2019).…”

Section: Intercultural Mentoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Broadening international mentoring: contexts and dynamics of expatriate and HCN intercultural mentoring

Bakel¹,

Vaiman²,

Vance³

et al. 2021

JGM

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PurposeTo enlarge the focus on international mentoring beyond traditional company-assigned expatriates, this conceptual paper examines important contexts and dynamics of intercultural mentoring involving traditional expatriates and host country nationals (HCNs), with both as mentors and mentees.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper explores how intercultural mentoring in different contexts can guide the individual professional development of expatriates and HCNs, and in doing so, contributes to MNC knowledge management and organization development.FindingsMajor contributions of this paper include increased attention to the role of culture in mentoring, and an illumination of important intercultural mentoring opportunities and imperatives involving traditional company-assigned expatriates and HCNs, who are key global talent players in MNC knowledge management and overall operations performance. This paper also provides practical recommendations on how organizations can facilitate mentoring within a global context, as well as suggestions for viable avenues for future research, including further extending the global talent reach of international mentoring.Originality/valueThis paper emphasizes the importance of taking the intercultural context into account when planning and managing mentoring in MNCs and outlines how culture can affect mentoring relationships involving traditional company-assigned expatriates and HCNs. This contextual aspect has often been neglected in the extant literature, yet can be crucial for the success of mentoring relationships that cross cultural borders. With its inclusion of HCNs, this paper also expands the picture of international mentoring beyond the traditional focus on company-assigned expatriates.

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How Inpatriates Internalize Corporate Values at Headquarters: The Role of Developmental Job Assignments and Psychosocial Mentoring

Cited by 14 publications

References 100 publications

Combining lifelines to thrive: a stage-based need fulfilment network of international assignees

Combining lifelines to thrive: a stage-based need fulfilment network of international assignees

How does successive inpatriation contribute to subsidiary capability building and subsidiary evolution? An organizational knowledge creation perspective

Broadening international mentoring: contexts and dynamics of expatriate and HCN intercultural mentoring

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