Abstract
This article investigates the sharing and development of knowledge of organization culture during international assignments in multinational enterprises (MNE). Organization culture is presented as a category of knowledge, and the value of this knowledge is discussed in the strategic context of MNE integration and the development of global management competencies. In-depth interview data from 21 cases of international assignments across 13 MNEs are analysed, revealing that assignees play a role in sharing knowledge of organization culture through the process of articulating tacit perspectives held across global units. The data also reveal a role for assignments in the development of comprehension of substantive heterogeneity. This article contributes to our understanding of the developmental aspects of assignments, the utility of assignments as a method for knowledge sharing and the role of international assignments in the integration of MNEs.
Keywords
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
