Knowledge integration in multinational enterprises: The role of inventors crossing national and organizational boundaries

Davide Castellani, Alessandra Perri and Vittoria G. Scalera

Journal of World Business, 2022, vol. 57, issue 3

Abstract: Adopting a microfoundations approach to the analysis of intra-multinational enterprise (MNE) knowledge integration, we focus on mobile inventors and their boundary-spanning experience. Using inventor-patent data on US-based MNEs, we show that intra-organizational cross-border mobility and inter-organizational mobility have respectively a positive and a negative effect on knowledge integration. Cross-border mobility within the MNE enables the temporary co-location of mobile inventors in different units, facilitating the dissemination of their knowledge within the MNE. Conversely, “job-hopping” inventors may remain organizational outsiders, which hinders their ability to foster intra-MNE knowledge integration.

Keywords: knowledge integration; innovation; inventors; microfoundations; intra-firm cross-border mobility; inter-organizational mobility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2021.101290

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