The importance of language in international knowledge transfer

Denice E. Welch and Lawrence S. Welch
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Denice E. Welch: University of Melbourne
Lawrence S. Welch: University of Melbourne

Management International Review, 2008, vol. 48, issue 3, No 5, 339-360

Abstract: Abstract Abstract and Key Results In this article, we examine the effects of language on the transfer of knowledge within multinational companies. We unbundle language from the culture box and use the basic communication model to show how language affects all stages. We also examine a range of influences — cost, transfer medium, teams, networks, trust, staff movements and motivation — on international knowledge transfer to demonstrate how language effects their operation. We develop the concept of language as a “reconfiguration agent” to explain its extensive, pervasive, on-going and system-altering characteristics.

Keywords: Language; Knowledge Transfer; Communication; Reconfiguration Agent (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (60)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11575-008-0019-7

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