Governing cross-border innovation: how country-specific director experience enables board-level boundary spanning in MNEs

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Kumar, Pankaj; Calvano, Felipe; Schnatterly, Karen
• 署名单位: Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University; University of Illinois System; University of Illinois Chicago
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2506
• DOI: 10.1057/s41267-026-00900-8
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: research-and-development; corporate governance; FOREIGN SUBSIDIARIES; AGENCY COSTS; KNOWLEDGE; firm; performance; attention; INTERNATIONALIZATION; selection

摘要

The internationalization of innovation is critical for multinational enterprises (MNEs), yet foreign subsidiaries often struggle to gain headquarters support for their innovations, while knowledge from subsidiary-country contexts remains underused in headquarters' R&D. This study examines how directors with professional experience in a subsidiary country help boards govern these challenges. Drawing on boundary-spanning theory, we argue that such directors improve headquarters' evaluation of subsidiary innovations and expand the scope of knowledge that headquarters draws upon. Using 8,264 firm-country-year observations for U.S.-headquartered MNEs from 2000 to 2021, we find that headquarters-based directors with experience in subsidiary countries are positively associated with both subsidiary innovations patented in the home market and headquarters' use of subsidiary-country knowledge reflected in patent citations. Both relationships are amplified by knowledge distance, the divergence between home and subsidiary-country innovation systems, because directors are most consequential when headquarters' cognitive frameworks are most misaligned with the subsidiary context. The findings contribute to international business, corporate governance, and innovation research by showing how board composition shapes where innovation is supported and which foreign knowledge enters headquarters-led R&D. Practically, MNEs can improve global innovation governance by matching directors' international experience to the countries in which their subsidiaries operate. The article explores how multinational enterprises (MNEs) can better utilize the innovative potential of their foreign subsidiaries. Despite the global spread of innovation activities, many subsidiaries struggle to contribute effectively to their parent company's innovation agenda. This is due to biases that favor home-country projects and underutilization of foreign knowledge. The study investigates how the international experience of board directors, specifically their experience in subsidiary host countries, can help bridge this gap and enhance innovation outcomes. This article examines U.S.-headquartered MNEs from 2000 to 2021, using data from various sources like BoardEx and PatentsView. The study focuses on directors with country-specific international experience, who act as boundary spanners (individuals who connect different parts of an organization to facilitate information flow). These directors help the headquarters recognize and support innovations from foreign subsidiaries and incorporate foreign knowledge into their own R&D efforts. The study uses negative binomial regression models to analyze the data, considering factors like knowledge distance (the difference between countries' innovation systems) to understand when directors' contributions are most impactful. The results show that directors with international experience in specific subsidiary countries significantly increase the number of foreign subsidiary innovations that are patented in the home country. Such directors are also associated with greater use of foreign knowledge (subsidiary-country knowledge) in headquarters-led innovations. The effect is stronger when there is a greater knowledge distance between the home and subsidiary countries, highlighting the importance of directors' role in bridging cognitive gaps. The study concludes that appointing directors with relevant international experience can help MNEs better leverage their global innovation networks. This has implications for improving resource allocation and expanding the scope of knowledge considered in innovation efforts. Future research could explore these dynamics in different governance contexts and with more nuanced measures of director experience.This text was initially drafted using artificial intelligence, then reviewed by the author(s) to ensure accuracy. L'internationalisation de l'innovation est un enjeu crucial pour les entreprises multinationales (EMN). Pourtant, les filiales & eacute;trang & egrave;res rencontrent souvent des difficult & eacute;s & agrave; obtenir le soutien du si & egrave;ge pour leurs innovations, tandis que les connaissances issues des contextes des pays d'implantation des filiales demeurent sous-exploit & eacute;es dans les activit & eacute;s de R&D du si & egrave;ge. Cette recherche examine comment les administrateurs disposant d'une exp & eacute;rience professionnelle dans un pays d'implantation d'une filiale aident les conseils d'administration & agrave; relever ces d & eacute;fis. Nous appuyant sur la th & eacute;orie du franchissement des fronti & egrave;res (Boundary-Spanning Theory), nous argumentons que ces administrateurs am & eacute;liorent la capacit & eacute; du si & egrave;ge & agrave; & eacute;valuer les innovations d & eacute;velopp & eacute;es par les filiales, et & eacute;largissent l'& eacute;ventail des connaissances sur lesquelles le si & egrave;ge s'appuie. & Agrave; partir d'un & eacute;chantillon de 8264 observations entreprise-pays de filiale-ann & eacute;e portant sur des EMN ayant leur si & egrave;ge aux & Eacute;tats-Unis entre 2000 et 2021, nous observons que la pr & eacute;sence, au sein du conseil d'administration du si & egrave;ge, des administrateurs ayant une exp & eacute;rience dans les pays o & ugrave; sont implant & eacute;es les filiales est positivement associ & eacute;e, d'une part, au d & eacute;p & ocirc;t de brevets des innovations des filiales sur le march & eacute; d'origine et, d'autre part, & agrave; l'utilisation par le si & egrave;ge des connaissances issues des pays des filiales, telle qu'elle est refl & eacute;t & eacute;e par les citations de brevets. Ces deux relations sont renforc & eacute;es par la distance de connaissances, c'est-& agrave;-dire la divergence entre les syst & egrave;mes d'innovation du pays d'origine et du pays d'implantation de la filiale, car les administrateurs jouent un r & ocirc;le particuli & egrave;rement d & eacute;terminant lorsque les cadres cognitifs du si & egrave;ge sont les moins align & eacute;s sur le contexte de la filiale. Les r & eacute;sultats contribuent aux recherches en affaires internationales, en gouvernance d'entreprise et en innovation en montrant comment la composition des conseils d'administration influence les lieux o & ugrave; l'innovation est soutenue, et quelles connaissances & eacute;trang & egrave;res int & egrave;grent la R&D dirig & eacute;e par le si & egrave;ge. D'un point de vue pratique, ils sugg & egrave;rent que les EMN peuvent am & eacute;liorer la gouvernance mondiale de l'innovation en alignant l'exp & eacute;rience internationale des administrateurs sur les pays dans lesquels leurs filiales op & egrave;rent. La internacionalizaci & oacute;n de la innovaci & oacute;n es fundamental para las empresas multinacionales (EMNs), sin embargo, las filiales extranjeras a menudo enfrentan dificultades para obtener el apoyo de la casa matriz para sus innovaciones, mientras que el conocimiento proveniente de los contextos de los pa & iacute;ses de las filiales permanece subutilizado en la I+D de la casa matriz. Este estudio examina c & oacute;mo los directores con experiencia profesional en un pa & iacute;s filial ayudan a los consejos de administraci & oacute;n a gestionar estos desaf & iacute;os. Bas & aacute;ndonos en la teor & iacute;a de cruce de fronteras organizacionales (boundary-spanning theory), argumentamos que dichos directores mejoran la evaluaci & oacute;n que realiza la casa matriz sobre las innovaciones de las filiales y ampl & iacute;an el alcance del conocimiento que la casa matriz utiliza. Usando 8.264 observaciones anuales de empresas y pa & iacute;ses filiales de empresas multinacionales con sede en Estados Unidos entre 2000 y 2021, encontramos que los directores basados en la casa matriz con experiencia en pa & iacute;ses filiales est & aacute;n positivamente asociados tanto con las innovaciones de las filiales patentadas en el pa & iacute;s de origen de la multinacional como con el uso por parte de la casa matriz del conocimiento de los pa & iacute;ses filiales reflejado en las citas de patentes. Ambas relaciones se amplifican por la distancia del conocimiento, es decir, la divergencia entre los sistemas de innovaci & oacute;n del pa & iacute;s de origen y del pa & iacute;s filial, ya que los directores tienen un impacto m & aacute;s significativo cuando los marcos cognitivos de la casa matriz est & aacute;n m & aacute;s desalineados con el contexto de la filial. Los hallazgos contribuyen a la investigaci & oacute;n en negocios internacionales, gobernanza corporativa e innovaci & oacute;n al mostrar c & oacute;mo la composici & oacute;n del consejo de administraci & oacute;n influye en d & oacute;nde se apoya la innovaci & oacute;n y qu & eacute; conocimiento extranjero ingresa a la I+D liderada por la casa matriz. En t & eacute;rminos pr & aacute;cticos, las empresas multinacionales pueden mejorar la gobernanza de la innovaci & oacute;n global al alinear la experiencia internacional de los directores con los pa & iacute;ses en los que operan sus filiales. A internacionaliza & ccedil;& atilde;o da inova & ccedil;& atilde;o & eacute; crucial para as empresas multinacionais (MNEs), no entanto, as subsidi & aacute;rias estrangeiras frequentemente enfrentam dificuldades para obter o apoio da matriz para suas inova & ccedil;& otilde;es, enquanto o conhecimento dos contextos dos pa & iacute;ses das subsidi & aacute;rias permanece subutilizado na pesquisa e desenvolvimento (P&D) da matriz. Este estudo examina como conselheiros com experi & ecirc;ncia profissional em um pa & iacute;s de subsidi & aacute;ria ajudam os conselhos a lidar com esses desafios. Com base na teoria de intermedia & ccedil;& atilde;o de fronteiras (boundary-spanning theory), argumentamos que tais conselheiros melhoram a avalia & ccedil;& atilde;o das inova & ccedil;& otilde;es das subsidi & aacute;rias pela matriz e ampliam o escopo do conhecimento que a matriz utiliza. Utilizando 8.264 observa & ccedil;& otilde;es anuais de empresas e pa & iacute;ses de subsidi & aacute;rias de MNEs sediadas nos EUA entre 2000 e 2021, descobrimos que conselheiros baseados na matriz com experi & ecirc;ncia nos pa & iacute;ses das subsidi & aacute;rias est & atilde;o positivamente associados tanto & agrave;s inova & ccedil;& otilde;es patenteadas das subsidi & aacute;rias no mercado dom & eacute;stico quanto ao uso, pela matriz, do conhecimento dos pa & iacute;ses das subsidi & aacute;rias, refletido nas cita & ccedil;& otilde;es de patentes. Ambas as rela & ccedil;& otilde;es s & atilde;o amplificadas pela dist & acirc;ncia de conhecimento, ou seja, pela diverg & ecirc;ncia entre os sistemas de inova & ccedil;& atilde;o do pa & iacute;s de origem e da subsidi & aacute;ria, pois os conselheiros t & ecirc;m maior impacto quando os modelos cognitivos da matriz est & atilde;o mais desalinhados com o contexto da subsidi & aacute;ria. Os resultados contribuem para as pesquisas em neg & oacute;cios internacionais, governan & ccedil;a corporativa e inova & ccedil;& atilde;o, ao mostrar como a composi & ccedil;& atilde;o do conselho influencia onde a inova & ccedil;& atilde;o & eacute; apoiada e quais conhecimentos estrangeiros entram na P&D liderada pela matriz. Na pr & aacute;tica, as MNEs podem melhorar a governan & ccedil;a da inova & ccedil;& atilde;o global ao alinhar a experi & ecirc;ncia internacional dos conselheiros aos pa & iacute;ses onde suas subsidi & aacute;rias operam. 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