Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Knowledge ...

The Influence <strong>of</strong> Repatriation Support and Social Climate
Perceptions on Repatriate Knowledge Sharing
Huei-Fang Chen and Yi-Wen Lin
Department <strong>of</strong> International Business, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan
hfchen@scu.edu.tw
yiwencmgsh@hotmail.com
Abstract: Research on knowledge management in multinational corporations has generally focused on
subsidiaries. Only a few studies have explored knowledge management in connection with international
assignees. Repatriate knowledge-sharing is an important channel for accumulating foreign experience and
knowledge within multinational corporations. Researchers recommend that human resource practitioners at
multinationals focus on repatriates to identify <strong>the</strong> knowledge assets <strong>the</strong>y hold. A better understanding <strong>of</strong> this
problem may help to lower resistance to knowledge-sharing by international assignees who have returned home.
Given that companies can influence <strong>the</strong> interactions, behaviors, and motivation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir employees using various
human resource practices, it stands to reason that multinationals can motivate individual repatriates to share <strong>the</strong>ir
knowledge by implementing appropriate repatriation practices. Social climate is one kind <strong>of</strong> organizational
environment that may affect employee attitudes. Researchers have defined social climate as a collective set <strong>of</strong>
norms, values, and beliefs that reflect employee views <strong>of</strong> how <strong>the</strong>y interact with one ano<strong>the</strong>r while carrying out
tasks for a firm. Previous research has confirmed that human resource practices help to create a social climate
that facilitates knowledge exchange. It is surprising that so few studies focus on <strong>the</strong> relationship between
repatriation practices, social climate and knowledge management issues in a multinational environment. To fill
this gap, this research considers repatriation practices and draws on social climate <strong>the</strong>ory, working to investigate
<strong>the</strong> influence <strong>of</strong> such practices on repatriates’ willingness to disseminate <strong>the</strong>ir knowledge and <strong>the</strong>ir knowledgesharing
behavior within <strong>the</strong>ir home country. We used a questionnaire survey to collect our empirical data. The
research subjects were repatriates from Taiwanese enterprises with operations abroad. Two hundred and
thirteen valid samples were included in <strong>the</strong> final analysis. Structural equation modeling was used to test <strong>the</strong> path
relationships among <strong>the</strong> variables in <strong>the</strong> research framework. The major conclusion <strong>of</strong> this study is that employee
perceptions <strong>of</strong> repatriation support have a positive and significant influence on perceptions regarding <strong>the</strong> social
climate. The results also demonstrate that <strong>the</strong> social climate as perceived by repatriates has a significant and
positive influence on <strong>the</strong>ir willingness to widely disseminate <strong>the</strong>ir acquired knowledge. Such willingness, in turn,
has a positive and significant impact on repatriate knowledge-sharing. This study extends <strong>the</strong> concept <strong>of</strong>
knowledge management from <strong>the</strong> organizational level to <strong>the</strong> individual repatriate level. As such, it adds academic
value to <strong>the</strong> study <strong>of</strong> international human resource management. All in all, <strong>the</strong> study results provide new insight
into repatriate management. International human resource managers might consider implementing appropriate
repatriation support measures (including repatriation training, repatriation assistance, and repatriation
compensation) to create a high-quality social climate as perceived by repatriates. This process could encourage
repatriates to disseminate knowledge and, in turn, enhance knowledge-sharing behavior in <strong>the</strong> home country. We
also acknowledge certain limitations and suggest potentially fruitful avenues for future research.
Keywords: Repatriation support, social climate, disseminative willingness, knowledge sharing
1. Introduction
Research on knowledge management in multinational corporations has generally focused on
subsidiaries (Minbaeva 2005; Bjorkman, Barner-Rasmussen and Li 2004; Buckley and Carter 2004;
Foss and Pedersen 2004; Gupta and Govindarajan 2000). Only a few studies have explored
knowledge management in connection with international assignees (Kwok and Gao 2005; Minbaeva
and Michailova 2004; Riusala and Suutari 2004). Blakeney, Oddou and Osland (2006) recommend
that human resource practitioners at multinationals focus on expatriates and repatriates to identify <strong>the</strong>
knowledge assets that <strong>the</strong>y hold. A better understanding <strong>of</strong> this question might lower resistance to
knowledge-sharing by international assignees when <strong>the</strong>y come home (Dowling, Festing and Engle
2008). Because knowledge-sharing at multinationals is mostly driven by <strong>the</strong> contributions <strong>of</strong>
international assignees, it may be valuable to shift <strong>the</strong> focus back to <strong>the</strong> individual level to discuss
knowledge management issues at multinational corporations (MNCs).
Huselid (1995) and Wright, Dunford and Snell (2001) have argued that companies can influence <strong>the</strong>
interactions, behaviors, and motivation <strong>of</strong> employees using various human resource practices. For
instance, MNCs might motivate individual repatriates to share knowledge widely by ensuring that
international assignees have appropriate repatriation support (Lazarova and Tarique 2005). Such
support could include repatriation training, assistance with <strong>the</strong> return home, and appropriate
compensation for repatriates. Furuya, Stevens, Bird, Oddou and Mendenhall (2009) have shown that
organization support and repatriate policies have a positive and significant influence on <strong>the</strong> transfer <strong>of</strong>
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