The Business Perspective: The Role of Spatial Mobility and Intra-firm Social Ties

Abstract

From a business perspective spatial mobility and resulting social relations contribute to organisations' overall performance and knowledge-driven growth. While expatriation is considered central to inter- and intra-unit knowledge exchange, the impact of social networks to transfer of knowledge before, during and after expatriation is often not adequately addressed in mobility and knowledge management strategies. As a result, the knowledge transfer process in the context of expatriation is based on informal social processes re-emphasising the importance of social networks at the workplace.