Determinants of reverse knowledge transfer for emerging market multinationals: the role of complexity, autonomy and embeddedness

Silveira, Franciane Freitas; Sbragia, Roberto; Lopez-Vega, Henry; Tell, Fredrik

doi:10.1016/j.rausp.2016.12.007

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Technology Management • Rev. Adm. (São Paulo) 52 (2) • Apr/Jun 2017 • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rausp.2016.12.007 copy

Determinants of reverse knowledge transfer for emerging market multinationals: the role of complexity, autonomy and embeddedness

Determinantes da transferência reversa de conhecimento em multinacionais de mercados emergentes: o papel da complexidade, da autonomia e da integração

Factores determinantes de la transferencia inversa de conocimiento en multinacionales de mercados emergentes: el papel de la complejidad, la autonomía y la integración

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

Subsidiaries conduct innovation activities in foreign markets either to capture valuable knowledge that is necessary to adapt their products to local markets or to create valuable knowledge for headquarters. For emerging market multinationals, most studies have overlooked the determinants of successful reverse knowledge transfer from subsidiaries located in emerging and developed markets. This paper analyzed the responses of a survey administered to 78 Brazilian multinationals that own subsidiaries in developed and emerging markets. We found that knowledge complexity developed at the subsidiary, its autonomy and embeddedness in the foreign market determine the successful reverse knowledge transfer to headquarters of emerging market multinationals. This paper contributes to previous studies of reverse knowledge transfer by underlying the main drivers for emerging market multinationals.

Keywords:
Reverse knowledge transfer; Emerging multinationals; Brazilian multinationals

Statistics	1. Age	2. Country	3. Complexity	4. Autonomy	5. Embeddedness	6. RKT
Correlation with RKT	−0.150	0.350	0.270	0.300	0.410	1000
Composite reliability	1	1	0.890	0.880	0.900	0.870
Disattenuated correlation with RKT (using CR)	0.161	0.375	0.307	0.343	0.463
Attenuation	−0.011	0.025	0.307	0.343	0.053

Variables	Mean	S.D.	AVE	C.R.	C.A.	1	2	3	4	5	6
1. Age	10.8	11.1				1.00
2. Country	-	-				0.13	1.00
3. Complexity	3.7	1.1	0.61	0.89	0.86	−0.18	0.19	0.78
4. Autonomy	3.2	1.0	0.55	0.88	0.90	0.07	0.17	0.03	0.74
5. Embeddedness	3.0	1.0	0.53	0.90	0.87	0.08	0.28	0.02	0.07	0.73
6. Reverse Transfer	3.0	1.0	0.54	0.87	0.83	−0.15	0.35	0.27	0.30	0.41	0.73

H	Path from	To	Full model		Control model		Theoretical model		Effect size (f²)
			β	p-Values	β	p-Values	β	p-Values
	Age	RKT	−0.182	0.01^ p≤ 0.01.	−0.212	0.00^* ***** p≤ 0.001
	Country	RKT	0.195	0.04^* * p≤ 0.05.	0.408	0.00^* ***** p≤ 0.001
H1	Autonomy	RKT	0.188	0.04^* * p≤ 0.05.			0.252	0.01^ p≤ 0.01.	0.05
H2	Complexity	RKT	0.246	0.01^ p≤ 0.01.			0.262	0.00^* ***** p≤ 0.001	0.08
H3	Embeddednes	RKT	0.351	0.00^* ***** p≤ 0.001			0.395	0.00^* ***** p≤ 0.001	0.15

Reverse transfer R²		0.36		0.19		0.30
ΔR²				0.17		0.06

	Indicators	Authors
Dependent variables
Reverse knowledge transfer (RKT)	1.1 Development of new production process; 1.2 Development of new equipment and/or tools; 1.3 Development of new products; 1.4 Know-how and expertise in the form of plans, models, instructions, guides, formulas, specifications, designs, plans, technical drawings, and/or prototypes to design new products; 1.5 Results of research into new materials and specifications; 1.6 Results of research and development (R&D) into new product generations.	Ariffin and Figueiredo (2003); Bell and Pavitt (1995); Iammarino et al. (2008); Lall (1992); Yang et al. (2008)
Independent variables
Complexity	2.1 Its understanding requires prior learning from other related technological knowledge; 2.2 Its understanding requires a large amount of information; 2.3 It is the product of many interdependent routines, individuals and resources; 2.4 It includes many different skills or competencies; 2.5 It is technologically sophisticated and difficult to deploy; 2.6 It is complex (vs. simple)	Simonin (2004); Zander and Kogut (1995)
Autonomy	3.1 Implementation of changes in products and services; 3.2 Development of new products and services; 3.3 Implementation of changes in production processes; 3.4 Entry into new markets in the country; 3.5 Procurement and supply chain management; 3.6. Management of Purchasing and Supply Chain; 3.7 Hiring and firing of the subsidiary workforce.	Ghoshal and Nohria (1989); Birkinshaw et al. (1998); Rabiosi (2011)
External embeddedness (with customers, suppliers)	4.1 Customers/suppliers has fully participated in the development of technological knowledge in the subsidiary; 4.2 Customers/suppliers showed important initiatives for the development of technological knowledge in the subsidiary; 4.3 Customers/suppliers satisfied the requirements in developing technological knowledge in the subsidiary; 4.4 The technological subsidiary knowledge was partially developed within this Customers/suppliers' premises; 4.5 The cooperation with customers/suppliers has been characterized by frequent interactions.	Lane and Lubatkin (1998),
		Andersson et al. (2005) and
		Najafi-Tavani et al. (2013)
Moderating variables
Subsidiary's location	5.1 Low-income countries (0); 5.2 High-income countries (1)	Cantwell and Mudambi (2005)
Subsidiary's age	6.1 subsidiaries under 10 years old (0); 6.2 Subsidiaries with over 10 years old (1)	Ambos and Schlegelmilch (2007); Rabiosi (2011)

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E-mail: rausp@usp.br

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[1] * Corresponding author at: Alameda da Universidade, s/nº - CEP 09606-045, São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil. E-mail:franciane.silveira@ufabc.edu.br (F.F. Silveira).