Knowledge Benefits of Social Capital upon Repatriation: A Longitudinal Study of International Assignees

摘要

This study integrates social resources theory and social exchange theory arguments to examine the knowledge benefits that international assignees' host-unit social capital entails upon repatriation. Specifically, I hypothesize that assignees' host-unit social capital, operationalized as their number of work group contacts and their proportion of trusted ties at the host unit, positively relates to two specific knowledge benefits upon repatriation: continued access to host-unit knowledge; and continued transfer of host-unit knowledge to colleagues in assignees' new positions. Assignees' perceptions of career and repatriation support are expected to moderate these relationships. The hypotheses are tested with a longitudinal sample of 85 inpatriate assignees in 10 German multinationals. I contribute to the literatures on international assignments, social capital, and MNC knowledge flows by explaining how and under what conditions assignees' host-unit social capital entails knowledge benefits upon repatriation.