IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/worbus/v52y2017i5p680-690.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Is inpatriate assignment experience a ticket to the top of a foreign subsidiary? The moderating effect of subsidiary context

Author

Listed:
  • Sarabi, Almasa
  • Froese, Fabian J.
  • Hamori, Monika

Abstract

Research on international assignments and career progress has concentrated on the international assignment experience of parent-country nationals sent from the headquarters of a multinational enterprise to a foreign subsidiary. Adopting the career-cone perspective, we examine the influence of assignment experience in the headquarters on the career progress of host-country national subsidiary managers. Results from surveys and archival data of 268 subsidiary managers confirm that this kind of experience accelerates their career progress, while other assignments abroad fail to do so. Headquarters assignment experience is especially beneficial for subsidiary managers working in subsidiaries that are more integrated into the multinational enterprise.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarabi, Almasa & Froese, Fabian J. & Hamori, Monika, 2017. "Is inpatriate assignment experience a ticket to the top of a foreign subsidiary? The moderating effect of subsidiary context," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 680-690.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:52:y:2017:i:5:p:680-690
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2017.05.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090951617304443
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jwb.2017.05.005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Harzing, Anne-Wil, 2001. "Of bears, bumble-bees, and spiders: the role of expatriates in controlling foreign subsidiaries," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 366-379, January.
    2. Arjen H L Slangen & Jean-François Hennart, 2008. "Do multinationals really prefer to enter culturally distant countries through greenfields rather than through acquisitions? The role of parent experience and subsidiary autonomy," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(3), pages 472-490, April.
    3. Anne-Wil Harzing, 2000. "An Empirical Analysis and Extension of the Bartlett and Ghoshal Typology of Multinational Companies," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 31(1), pages 101-120, March.
    4. Mila B Lazarova & Jean-Luc Cerdin, 2007. "Revisiting repatriation concerns: organizational support versus career and contextual influences," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(3), pages 404-429, May.
    5. Collings, David G. & Morley, Michael J. & Gunnigle, Patrick, 2008. "Composing the top management team in the international subsidiary: Qualitative evidence on international staffing in U.S. MNCs in the Republic of Ireland," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 197-212, March.
    6. B Sebastian Reiche & Anne-Wil Harzing & Maria L Kraimer, 2009. "The role of international assignees' social capital in creating inter-unit intellectual capital: A cross-level model," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(3), pages 509-526, April.
    7. Kendall Roth & Allen J Morrison, 1992. "Implementing Global Strategy: Characteristics of Global Subsidiary Mandates," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 23(4), pages 715-735, December.
    8. Pol Herrmann & Deepak K Datta, 2002. "CEO Successor Characteristics and the Choice of Foreign Market Entry Mode: An Empirical Study," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 33(3), pages 551-569, September.
    9. Alain Verbeke & Wenlong Yuan, 2013. "The Drivers of Multinational Enterprise Subsidiary Entrepreneurship in C hina: A New Resource-Based View Perspective," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(2), pages 236-258, March.
    10. Harvey, Michael & Novicevic, Milorad M. & Buckley, M. Ronald & Fung, Helen, 2005. "Reducing inpatriate managers' 'Liability of Foreignness' by addressing stigmatization and stereotype threats," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 267-280, August.
    11. Stewart Johnston & Bulent Menguc, 2007. "Subsidiary size and the level of subsidiary autonomy in multinational corporations: a quadratic model investigation of Australian subsidiaries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(5), pages 787-801, September.
    12. René A Belderbos & Mariëlle G Heijltjes, 2005. "The determinants of expatriate staffing by Japanese multinationals in Asia: control, learning and vertical business groups," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 36(3), pages 341-354, May.
    13. Ahlvik, Catarina & Smale, Adam & Sumelius, Jennie, 2016. "Aligning corporate transfer intentions and subsidiary HRM practice implementation in multinational corporations," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 343-355.
    14. Preet S Aulakh & Masaaki Kotabe, 1997. "Antecedents and Performance Implications of Channel Integration in Foreign Markets," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 28(1), pages 145-175, March.
    15. Catherine M. Daily & S. Trevis Certo & Dan R. Dalton, 2000. "International experience in the executive suite: the path to prosperity?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(4), pages 515-523, April.
    16. Antonio Falato & Dan Li & Todd Milbourn, 2015. "Which Skills Matter in the Market for CEOs? Evidence from Pay for CEO Credentials," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 61(12), pages 2845-2869, December.
    17. Estrin, Saul & Meyer, Klaus E. & Wright, Mike & Foliano, Francesca, 2008. "Export propensity and intensity of subsidiaries in emerging economies," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 17(5), pages 574-586, October.
    18. Custódio, Cláudia & Ferreira, Miguel A. & Matos, Pedro, 2013. "Generalists versus specialists: Lifetime work experience and chief executive officer pay," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(2), pages 471-492.
    19. Liu, Xiaohui & Gao, Lan & Lu, Jiangyong & Lioliou, Eleni, 2016. "Environmental risks, localization and the overseas subsidiary performance of MNEs from an emerging economy," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 356-368.
    20. Orly Levy & Sully Taylor & Nakiye A Boyacigiller & Todd E Bodner & Maury A Peiperl & Schon Beechler, 2015. "Perceived senior leadership opportunities in MNCs: The effect of social hierarchy and capital," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 46(3), pages 285-307, April.
    21. Julian Birkinshaw & Neil Hood, 2000. "Characteristics of Foreign Subsidiaries in Industry Clusters," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 31(1), pages 141-154, March.
    22. Nakiye Boyacigiller, 1990. "The Role of Expatriates in the Management of Interdependence Complexity and Risk in Multinational Corporations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 21(3), pages 357-381, September.
    23. Mark C Bolino, 2007. "Expatriate assignments and intra-organizational career success: implications for individuals and organizations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(5), pages 819-835, September.
    24. Dickmann, Michael & Harris, Hilary, 2005. "Developing career capital for global careers: The role of international assignments," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 40(4), pages 399-408, November.
    25. B. Sebastian Reiche, 2012. "Knowledge Benefits of Social Capital upon Repatriation: A Longitudinal Study of International Assignees," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(6), pages 1052-1077, September.
    26. Collings, David G. & Scullion, Hugh & Morley, Michael J., 2007. "Changing patterns of global staffing in the multinational enterprise: Challenges to the conventional expatriate assignment and emerging alternatives," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 198-213, June.
    27. Yaping Gong, 2006. "The impact of subsidiary top management team national diversity on subsidiary performance: Knowledge and legitimacy perspectives," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 771-790, December.
    28. Shawn M Carraher & Sherry E Sullivan & Madeline M Crocitto, 2008. "Mentoring across global boundaries: an empirical examination of home- and host-country mentors on expatriate career outcomes," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(8), pages 1310-1326, December.
    29. Tina C Ambos & Ulf Andersson & Julian Birkinshaw, 2010. "What are the consequences of initiative-taking in multinational subsidiaries?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(7), pages 1099-1118, September.
    30. Georgakakis, Dimitrios & Dauth, Tobias & Ruigrok, Winfried, 2016. "Too much of a good thing: Does international experience variety accelerate or delay executives’ career advancement?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 425-437.
    31. Harvey, Michael & Reiche, B. Sebastian & Moeller, Miriam, 2011. "Developing effective global relationships through staffing with inpatriate managers: The role of interpersonal trust," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 150-161, June.
    32. Stahl, Günter K. & Miller, Edwin L. & Tung, Rosalie L., 2002. "Toward the boundaryless career: a closer look at the expatriate career concept and the perceived implications of an international assignment," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 216-227, October.
    33. Peterson, Richard B., 2003. "The use of expatriates and inpatriates in Central and Eastern Europe since the Wall came down," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 55-69, February.
    34. Greve, Peder & Biemann, Torsten & Ruigrok, Winfried, 2015. "Foreign executive appointments: A multilevel examination," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 674-686.
    35. Rugman, Alan M. & Brewer, Thomas L. (ed.), 2001. "The Oxford Handbook of International Business," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199241828.
    36. Monika Hamori & Burak Koyuncu, 2011. "Career advancement in large organizations in Europe and the United States: do international assignments add value?," Post-Print hal-00658023, HAL.
    37. B Sebastian Reiche & Maria L Kraimer & Anne-Wil Harzing, 2011. "Why do international assignees stay? An organizational embeddedness perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(4), pages 521-544, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Eunmi Tatum Lee & Young-Ryeol Park & Jooyoung Kwak, 2023. "Knowledge distance and innovation performance: the moderating role of internationalization breadth and depth," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(3), pages 1131-1154, July.
    2. Amal M. Jawad, 2021. "Managing International Assignments (Expatriates and Inpatriates): Effect of Cultural Diversity," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 15(12), pages 1-78, July.
    3. Ahrens, Carolin & Oehmichen, Jana & Wolff, Michael, 2018. "Expatriates as influencers in global work arrangements: Their impact on foreign-subsidiary employees’ ESOP participation," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(4), pages 452-462.
    4. Bebenroth, Ralf & Froese, Fabian J., 2020. "Consequences of expatriate top manager replacement on foreign subsidiary performance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(2).
    5. Sarabi, Almasa, 2020. "Shades of silence: Why subsidiary managers remain silent vis-à-vis their headquarters," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(6).
    6. Michailova, Snejina & Fee, Anthony & DeNisi, Angelo, 2023. "Research on host-country nationals in multinational enterprises: The last five decades and ways forward," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 58(1).
    7. Heejin Kim & B. Sebastian Reiche & Anne-Wil Harzing, 2022. "How does successive inpatriation contribute to subsidiary capability building and subsidiary evolution? An organizational knowledge creation perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(7), pages 1394-1419, September.
    8. Tomoki Sekiguchi & Norihiko Takeuchi & Tomokazu Takeuchi & Shiho Nakamura & Azusa Ebisuya, 2019. "How Inpatriates Internalize Corporate Values at Headquarters: The Role of Developmental Job Assignments and Psychosocial Mentoring," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 59(5), pages 825-853, October.
    9. Christoph Grimpe & Wolfgang Sofka & Ulrich Kaiser, 2023. "Competing for digital human capital: The retention effect of digital expertise in MNC subsidiaries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 54(4), pages 657-685, June.
    10. Khadija Straaten & Niccolò Pisani & Ans Kolk, 2020. "Unraveling the MNE wage premium," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(9), pages 1355-1390, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Caligiuri, Paula & Bonache, Jaime, 2016. "Evolving and enduring challenges in global mobility," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 127-141.
    2. Schmid, Stefan & Wurster, Dennis J., 2017. "International work experience: Is it really accelerating the way to the management board of MNCs?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 991-1008.
    3. Chipoong Kim & Chul Chung & Chris Brewster, 2019. "Beyond Nationality: International Experience as a Key Dimension for Subsidiary Staffing Choices in MNEs," John H Dunning Centre for International Business Discussion Papers jhd-dp2019-03, Henley Business School, University of Reading.
    4. Georgakakis, Dimitrios & Dauth, Tobias & Ruigrok, Winfried, 2016. "Too much of a good thing: Does international experience variety accelerate or delay executives’ career advancement?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 425-437.
    5. Duvivier, Florence & Peeters, Carine & Harzing, Anne-Wil, 2019. "Not all international assignments are created equal: HQ-subsidiary knowledge transfer patterns across types of assignments and types of knowledge," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(3), pages 181-190.
    6. Ilya R. P. Cuypers & Charmi Patel & Gokhan Ertug & Jiatao Li & Youtha Cuypers, 2022. "Top management teams in international business research: A review and suggestions for future research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(3), pages 481-515, April.
    7. Harvey, Michael & Reiche, B. Sebastian & Moeller, Miriam, 2011. "Developing effective global relationships through staffing with inpatriate managers: The role of interpersonal trust," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 150-161, June.
    8. Stefan Schmid & Sebastian Baldermann, 2021. "CEOs’ International Work Experience and Compensation," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 313-364, June.
    9. Galli Geleilate, Jose-Mauricio & Andrews, Daniel S. & Fainshmidt, Stav, 2020. "Subsidiary autonomy and subsidiary performance: A meta-analysis," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(4).
    10. Jong Min Lee, 2022. "MNCs as dispersed structures of power: Performance and management implications of power distribution in the subsidiary portfolio," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(1), pages 126-155, February.
    11. Tomoki Sekiguchi & Norihiko Takeuchi & Tomokazu Takeuchi & Shiho Nakamura & Azusa Ebisuya, 2019. "How Inpatriates Internalize Corporate Values at Headquarters: The Role of Developmental Job Assignments and Psychosocial Mentoring," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 59(5), pages 825-853, October.
    12. Stefan Schmid & Simon Mitterreiter, 2020. "International Top Managers on Corporate Boards: Dissimilarity and Tenure," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 60(5), pages 787-825, October.
    13. Schmid, Stefan & Altfeld, Frederic, 2018. "International work experience and compensation: Is more always better for CFOs?," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 530-543.
    14. Vesa Peltokorpi & Fabian Jintae Froese & B. Sebastian Reiche & Sebastian Klar, 2022. "Reverse Knowledge Flows: How and When Do Preparation and Reintegration Facilitate Repatriate Knowledge Transfer?," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(7), pages 1869-1893, November.
    15. Bader, Benjamin & Schuster, Tassilo, 2015. "Expatriate Social Networks in Terrorism-Endangered Countries: An Empirical Analysis in Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 63-77.
    16. Kawai, Norifumi & Strange, Roger, 2014. "Subsidiary autonomy and performance in Japanese multinationals in Europe," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 504-515.
    17. Muellner, Jakob & Klopf, Patricia & Nell, Phillip C., 2017. "Trojan Horses or Local Allies: Host-country National Managers in Developing Market Subsidiaries," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 306-325.
    18. Schmid, Stefan & Dauth, Tobias, 2014. "Does internationalization make a difference? Stock market reaction to announcements of international top executive appointments," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 63-77.
    19. Panagiota Sapouna & Dimitris Manolopoulos & Pavlos Dimitratos, 2016. "How do MNC R&D Laboratory Roles Affect Employee International Assignments?," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 56(5), pages 759-779, October.
    20. Schmid, Stefan & Altfeld, Frederic & Dauth, Tobias, 2018. "Americanization as a driver of CEO pay in Europe: The moderating role of CEO power," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(4), pages 433-451.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:52:y:2017:i:5:p:680-690. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/620401/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.