Subsidiary managers’ knowledge mobilizations: Unpacking emergent knowledge flows

Esther Tippmann, Pamela Sharkey Scott and Vincent Mangematin

Journal of World Business, 2014, vol. 49, issue 3, 431-443

Abstract: Knowledge flows are a key source of advantage for multinational corporations (MNCs); however the nuances of knowledge flow practices and their micro-foundations require further theoretical development. Using qualitative data on 40 cases of subsidiary managers’ knowledge mobilizations, this paper unravels micro-level practices of knowledge flows in MNCs. We find that subsidiary managers’ knowledge mobilizations initiate a complex pattern of subsidiary knowledge inflows, pinpointing the significance of lateral and bottom up exchanges (locally as well as internationally). We use these insights to distinguish between two types of subsidiary knowledge flows: deliberate and emergent, and discuss how their differences have profound implications for the investigation of MNC knowledge flows and their micro-foundations.

Keywords: Knowledge flows; Knowledge transfers; MNC/MNE; Knowledge seeking behavior; Middle managers; Subsidiary (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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Working Paper: Subsidiary managers’ knowledge mobilizations: Unpacking emergent knowledge flows (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:worbus:v:49:y:2014:i:3:p:431-443

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DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2013.09.001

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