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Expatriation as a Bridge Over Troubled Water: A Knowledge-Based Perspective Applied to Cross-Border Acquisitions

Louis Hébert

HEC Montréal, Canada

Philippe Very

EDHEC Business School, France

Paul W. Beamish

The University of Western Ontario, Canada

Do expatriate managers fulfil the role of ‘value-seeking connectors’ in cross-border acquisitions? Building from the organizational knowledge and the MNC literature, this paper focuses on the use of expatriate managers for transferring experience-based knowledge within the MNC and its impact on the survival of acquired subsidiaries. Using a sample of cross-border acquisitions by Japanese MNCs, we analysed the impact of expatriate managers on the relationship between the acquirer’s industry, host country and acquisition experience and the survival of the acquired subsidiary. Results show that the contribution of expatriation to the acquired firm’s survival varies considerably depending on the type of experience considered. In fact, connectivity through expatriation is costly and only when appropriately sent abroad do expatriate managers build an effective bridge over the troubled water that characterizes the challenging post-acquisition integration.

Key Words: mergers and acquisitions • knowledge transfer • expatriate managers • post-acquisition integration • international experience

Organization Studies, Vol. 26, No. 10, 1455-1476 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0170840605057067
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