Internationalizing Japanese Expatriate Managers: Organizational Learning through International Assignment
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Management Learning
Publication Date
6-2001
Volume
32
Issue
2
First Page
237
Last Page
251
Abstract
Existing literature on expatriate managers tends to focus on their adjustment from the point of view of individual well-being. This article, in pointing out that international assignments are an opportunity to internationalize the company through a learning process, has a different emphasis. Japanese companies tend to employ many Japanese expatriate managers in overseas locations. The development of cross-cultural adaptation among expatriate Japanese managers in two retail subsidiary companies in Hong Kong was studied. In both companies, the expatriates learned reactively rather than proactively, so that either zero or single-loop organizational learning ensued for the parent company. The reactive learning approach stemmed from expatriates perceiving that their career prospects related more to events back at the parent company than to the success or failure of the local subsidiary, and that it might be harmful to their career if they internationalized themselves during the overseas assignment.
DOI
10.1177/1350507601322005
Print ISSN
13505076
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2011 Sage Publications
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Wong, M. M. L. (2001) Internationalizing Japanese Expatriate Managers : Organizational Learning through International Assignment. Management Learning