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Repatriate Knowledge Transfer: A Systematic Review of the Literature

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Expatriate Management

Abstract

Expatriates acquire highly valuable knowledge during their international assignments, but knowledge transfer upon their return to the domestic organization often fails. Since the first empirical study in 2000, scholars have advanced the competency-based view of repatriation by developing conceptual models of repatriate knowledge transfer and examining the antecedents of successful transfer attempts. However, much empirical research still remains to be done. In order to guide future empirical research, I present the results of a systematic review of the literature on repatriate knowledge transfer between 2000 and 2015. The extant research results are synthesized into a multilevel framework that consists of factors on the individual, dyadic, and organizational level that influence repatriate knowledge transfer success. In addition, I identify theoretical and methodological shortcomings of the literature, and discuss avenues for future research as well as implications for practitioners.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Strategic Human Resource Management, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany

    Anne Burmeister

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  1. Anne Burmeister
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Business Development (ICD), Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany

    Benjamin Bader

  2. Department of International Management, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen, Nürnberg, Germany

    Tassilo Schuster

  3. Chair of Human Resources Management, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

    Anna Katharina Bader

North American Perspective

North American Perspective

Repatriate Knowledge Transfer: A Systematic Review of the Literature

  • Margaret A. Shaffer Ph.D 

  1. University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee,, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Margaret A. Shaffer Ph.D

This is an excellent review of the repatriate knowledge transfer (RKT) literature published from 2000 to 2015. As Burmeister notes, this is an important topic in that RKT is a potentially critical competitive advantage for multinational firms. Nevertheless, research in this area is scant. Of the 26 articles reviewed here, only 17 are empirical (9 quantitative and 8 qualitative); the remaining 9 are conceptual in nature. The nascent state of this body of literature certainly leaves the door open for a great deal of research in this area.

For me, one of the key questions is: “What differentiates repatriate knowledge transfer from expatriate knowledge transfer—or even from knowledge transfer in general?” Based on the antecedents that were identified in this review, it seems that the process is similar across types of global employees and perhaps even across employees in general. Is there something special or unique about repatriates that would differentiate them from others? For example, perhaps the knowledge repatriates are transferring is more strategic in nature. While expatriates are in more of a two-way boundary spanning role (for example, communicating headquarter values/goals/practices to host country nationals and sharing with headquarters knowledge of the host country), repatriates are more responsible for transferring knowledge that is relevant to the international scene to inform strategic planning. In other words, for expatriates, knowledge transfer is a two-way process, but for repatriates, it is more of a one-way process. So I agree with the author that it is important to consider differences in knowledge transfer across different types of global employees, and I encourage researchers to examine differences in both the process and the content of the knowledge transferred.

Another key question that I have is: “If repatriate knowledge transfer is so important, why don’t multinational companies try harder to retain repatriates?” It seems that scholars are in accord that this is an important issue, but multinational companies (MNCs) seem to ‘think’ differently—at least the high attrition rates of repatriates indicate that MNCs are not successful in retaining repatriates. Perhaps, however, the high turnover of repatriates is mainly a problem for North American MNCs. It is interesting that only three of the empirical studies in this review involved North American respondents (maybe due to lack of access to them), while the others targeted either Asian or European repatriates. If there are differences in retention rates of repatriates, then it would be worthwhile looking at why this is the case. I think another critical area for investigation has to do with the extent to which the knowledge transferred by repatriates contributes to the firm’s strategic planning, international expansion and operation decisions, and so on. Such pursuits would be consistent with the author’s suggestion for multilevel research on RKT, and they could offer MNCs some insight into the important role of repatriates as knowledge transfer agents.

A couple of other questions that arose as I read this review have to do with the complexity of the knowledge transfer process and the medium of communication. With respect to the complexities of the KT process, I think it is important to recognize that this is not necessarily a dyadic sender to receiver process. It could involve a sender transferring knowledge to a group or to an organization. This perspective again supports the author’s suggestion for multilevel research on this topic. While the medium of communication was not addressed in the review, this may also prove to be a fruitful area of investigation. Certainly expatriates are more likely to rely on computer-mediated forms of communication; repatriates, however, may engage more in face-to-face communication. To what extent does this influence the knowledge transfer process?

As highlighted in this review, there is still much that we need to learn about RKT. I hope that this chapter and these comments will stimulate scholars around the world to take up the challenge of doing research on this important and timely topic.

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Burmeister, A. (2017). Repatriate Knowledge Transfer: A Systematic Review of the Literature. In: Bader, B., Schuster, T., Bader, A. (eds) Expatriate Management. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57406-0_8

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