Abstract
Due to increasing globalisation it follows that a growing number of expatriate managers, that is, individuals having a managerial position in a foreign country, play a critical role within multinational corporations (MNCs), acting as a link between headquarters and the international units (Au and Fukuda 2002). In order to perform well in this role, they need to align their behaviour with the host country’s cultural norms and values. The larger the cultural differences, the more demanding this task is likely to be. The expatriates need both a willingness to adapt as well as information regarding local conditions. Such information can be gained from various sources: the human resource department of the MNC in questions, locally from co-workers, other expatriates or personal friends among host country nationals. In total, the latter relationships constitute their social network which, in line with Osman-Gani and Rockstuhl (2008: 33) in the context of expatriates, is defined as ‘relational ties between the expatriate and other individuals, such as family, peer expatriates, local working partners, or local friends’.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Aron Thyr for his contributions in earlier versions of the chapter.
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AppendixA Summary of the Private Relations
AppendixA Summary of the Private Relations
Informant | Counterpart | Creation | Use | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
E1 | Hans | Previous sales contact that turned into a customer and later became a personal friend | Exchange of local information, discussions on managerial problems etc. | Support and information |
E1 | Olle | Met him at the airport | Information exchange regarding management issues and emotional support | Support and to some extent important for business |
E1 | Jukka | Met through a mutual friend | Information exchange regarding management, and emotional support | Personal support and some business |
E1 | Stig | Met at the Swedish Club in St. Petersburg | Shares much information from his long experience in Russia | Knowledge of Russia |
E1 | Anton | Started as their IT supplier and then became a personal friend | Has plenty of local understanding | Knowledge about the Russian environment |
E2 | Bengt | Met him at the embassy in Moscow | Just socialising | Friendship |
E2 | Måns | Met him at a party in Moscow | Exchange of formal and informal information | More information about what he is doing, as well as some work-related information |
E2 | Tobias | Met him at the embassy in Moscow, used to do sports together | Exchange of information | Information on global economy etc. |
E2 | Linus | Met him when they were flying together to Russia | Not much use now, but could increase in the future | Not much outcome now, but wants more in the future. |
E2 | Cecilia | Met her through his wife | Mostly socialising, parties and similar activities | Access to her networks in Russia and Sweden |
E3 | Anna | His Russian wife, whom he met on a train from Moscow to St. Petersburg | Marriage. Most important of all relationships. | Support. Knowledge about culture and everyday life. |
E3 | Dmitry | Met while E3 was working at the Swedish Trade Council | Socialising, going to the gym, having fun | Have fun and be able to relax |
E3 | Andrey | Met through E3’s previous work | Socialising with him and his family. Spending time and share interests, go to a summer house, relax etc. | |
E3 | Hans | Met through E3’s previous work | Socialising, going to concerts | Friendship with someone from Sweden. Sharing experience |
E3 | Irina | Met through his wife (his mother-in-law) | Babysits his child | Provides free time for the respondent and his wife to relax |
E4 | Gunnar | Met in St. Petersburg while E4 was studying Russian. | Discuss business ideas, meaning of life etc. | Important friendship |
E4 | Fredrik | Met through friends in Moscow | Talking over a beer, or in restaurants | Friendship |
E4 | Rickard | Met through friends | Not much usage since Rickard is occupied with a wife and child now | Friendship |
E4 | Anders | Met through friends in Sweden | Talking about life | Friendship |
E4 | Hans | Former business partner | Have dinner, maybe go to a concert. | Friendship, some information on Russian politics and market. |
E5 | Rolf | Met through work in Sweden (boyfriend) | Socialising | Friendship |
E5 | Stig | Met through work | Talking about different phenomena in Russia, about work, and so on | Introduced E5 to the Swedish Club, gets information about Russia |
E5 | Andrey | Met at the Swedish Club in St. Petersburg | Interacting on both personal and professional levels | Gets local information about the Russian culture |
E5 | Rickard | Met at the Swedish Club in St. Petersburg. | Hanging out on occasion, having lunch, meeting at the Swedish Club etc. | Rewarding from a personal point of view |
E5 | Ekaterina | Found her through the internet, met for classes in Russian | Meet for lessons in Russian | Provides much advice about the Russian mentality and help to learn Russian |
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Johanson, M., Lundberg, H. (2016). Why Expatriates’ Private Relations Matter. In: Thilenius, P., Pahlberg, C., Havila, V. (eds) Extending the Business Network Approach. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53765-2_6
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