Microfoundations in international management research: The case of knowledge sharing in multinational corporations

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Foss, Nicolai J.; Pedersen, Torben
• 署名单位: Bocconi University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2506
• DOI: 10.1057/s41267-019-00270-4
• 发表日期: 2019
• 页码: 1594-1621
• 关键词: microfoundations; context; knowledge sharing; subsidiaries

摘要

Microfoundations have become an important theme in recent macro-management research. However, the international management (IM) field is an exception to this. We document the lack of attention on microfoundations in IM research by focusing on knowledge sharing - a key IM research field - which we investigate by means of a keyword-based literature study of the leading IM and general management journals. We discuss possible reasons why microfoundations have so far met with less resonance in IM research. We point to the training and background of IM scholars as possible reasons. We also highlight the significance that IM scholars place on context and structure in explanation. These may be seen as contrary to a microfoundations perspective, a view that we show is incorrect. We end by identifying several microfoundational issues in IM research, calling for a sustained effort with respect to theory, heuristics, and empirics.