IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/intman/v27y2021i4s107542532100034x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of external, internal, and dual relational embeddedness on the innovation performance of foreign subsidiaries: Evidence from a developing country

Author

Listed:
  • Albis, Nadia
  • Álvarez, Isabel
  • García, Aura

Abstract

As parts of a global network, foreign-owned subsidiaries enjoy privileged access to knowledge sources both internal (within their multinational group) and external (involving other organizations in the host location), and this has proven especially relevant in their assumption of greater creative responsibilities that increase the technological capabilities of their multinational group. This study investigates whether external and internal relational embeddedness are mutually reinforcing (complementary) or whether they act separately in explaining superior innovation performance of foreign-owned subsidiaries in terms of a greater propensity to obtain radical innovations. The empirical analysis uses both direct and indirect tests to evaluate the complementarity, as well as a rich firm-level panel data on foreign subsidiaries, extracted from a census of Colombian manufacturing firms for the period 2008–2014. Our findings reveal that external relational embeddedness in isolation (without internal embeddedness) has a positive impact on performance only in terms of incremental innovation, while internal embeddedness alone (without external embeddedness) has no effect on the innovation performance of subsidiaries. However, we find that a complementary and dynamic relationship exists between external and internal linkages to spur radical innovation outcomes, which in turn are related to the competence-creating roles in foreign subsidiaries as prior literature has shown.

Suggested Citation

  • Albis, Nadia & Álvarez, Isabel & García, Aura, 2021. "The impact of external, internal, and dual relational embeddedness on the innovation performance of foreign subsidiaries: Evidence from a developing country," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(4).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:intman:v:27:y:2021:i:4:s107542532100034x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intman.2021.100854
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S107542532100034X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intman.2021.100854?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David J. TEECE, 2008. "Profiting from technological innovation: Implications for integration, collaboration, licensing and public policy," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: The Transfer And Licensing Of Know-How And Intellectual Property Understanding the Multinational Enterprise in the Modern World, chapter 5, pages 67-87, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    2. L. Felipe Monteiro & Niklas Arvidsson & Julian Birkinshaw, 2008. "Knowledge Flows Within Multinational Corporations: Explaining Subsidiary Isolation and Its Performance Implications," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(1), pages 90-107, February.
    3. Sadowski, Bert M. & Sadowski-Rasters, Gaby, 2006. "On the innovativeness of foreign affiliates: Evidence from companies in The Netherlands," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 447-462, April.
    4. Roud, Vitaliy, 2018. "Understanding the heterogeneity of innovation modes: Performance effects, barriers, and demand for state support," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 238-253.
    5. Simona Iammarino & Philip McCann, 2013. "Multinationals and Economic Geography," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 15181.
    6. repec:idb:brikps:publication-detail,7101.html?id=68335 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Christoph Grimpe & Katrin Hussinger, 2013. "Formal and Informal Knowledge and Technology Transfer from Academia to Industry: Complementarity Effects and Innovation Performance," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(8), pages 683-700, November.
    8. Tether, Bruce S., 2002. "Who co-operates for innovation, and why: An empirical analysis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 947-967, August.
    9. Bruce Kogut & Udo Zander, 1993. "Knowledge of the Firm and the Evolutionary Theory of the Multinational Corporation," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 24(4), pages 625-645, December.
    10. Frenz, Marion & Ietto-Gillies, Grazia, 2009. "The impact on innovation performance of different sources of knowledge: Evidence from the UK Community Innovation Survey," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(7), pages 1125-1135, September.
    11. Martin Carree & Boris Lokshin & René Belderbos, 2011. "A note on testing for complementarity and substitutability in the case of multiple practices," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 263-269, June.
    12. Bruno Crepon & Emmanuel Duguet & Jacques Mairesse, 1998. "Research, Innovation And Productivity: An Econometric Analysis At The Firm Level," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(2), pages 115-158.
    13. John Cantwell & Ram Mudambi, 2005. "MNE competence‐creating subsidiary mandates," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(12), pages 1109-1128, December.
    14. Paulo Figueiredo & Klauber Brito, 2011. "The innovation performance of MNE subsidiaries and local embeddedness: evidence from an emerging economy," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 141-165, February.
    15. Emmanuel Duguet, 2006. "Innovation height, spillovers and tfp growth at the firm level: Evidence from French manufacturing," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(4-5), pages 415-442.
    16. Achcaoucaou, Fariza & Miravitlles, Paloma & León-Darder, Fidel, 2014. "Knowledge sharing and subsidiary R&D mandate development: A matter of dual embeddedness," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 76-90.
    17. Carlos Garcia‐Pont & J. Ignacio Canales & Fabrizio Noboa, 2009. "Subsidiary Strategy: The Embeddedness Component," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 182-214, March.
    18. Gammelgaard, Jens & McDonald, Frank & Stephan, Andreas & Tüselmann, Heinz & Dörrenbächer, Christoph, 2012. "The impact of increases in subsidiary autonomy and network relationships on performance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 1158-1172.
    19. Marin, Anabel & Bell, Martin, 2010. "The local/global integration of MNC subsidiaries and their technological behaviour: Argentina in the late 1990s," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(7), pages 919-931, September.
    20. Collinson, Simon C. & Wang, Rowena, 2012. "The evolution of innovation capability in multinational enterprise subsidiaries: Dual network embeddedness and the divergence of subsidiary specialisation in Taiwan," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(9), pages 1501-1518.
    21. Golebiowski, Tomasz & Lewandowska, Malgorzata Stefania, 2015. "Influence of internal and external relationships of foreign subsidiaries on innovation performance. Evidence from Germany, Czech Republic and Romania," Journal of East European Management Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 20(3), pages 304-327.
    22. Lorena M. D’Agostino & Grazia D. Santangelo, 2012. "Do Overseas R&D Laboratories in Emerging Markets Contribute to Home Knowledge Creation?," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 251-273, April.
    23. Belderbos, Rene & Carree, Martin & Diederen, Bert & Lokshin, Boris & Veugelers, Reinhilde, 2004. "Heterogeneity in R&D cooperation strategies," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 22(8-9), pages 1237-1263, November.
    24. Birkinshaw, Julian & Hood, Neil & Young, Stephen, 2005. "Subsidiary entrepreneurship, internal and external competitive forces, and subsidiary performance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 227-248, April.
    25. Jaider Vega-Jurado & Antonio Gutiérrez-Gracia & Ignacio Fernández-de-Lucio, 2009. "Does external knowledge sourcing matter for innovation? Evidence from the Spanish manufacturing industry," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 18(4), pages 637-670, August.
    26. Yamin, Mo & Andersson, Ulf, 2011. "Subsidiary importance in the MNC: What role does internal embeddedness play?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 151-162, April.
    27. Boehe, Dirk Michael, 2007. "Product development in MNC subsidiaries: Local linkages and global interdependencies," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 488-512, December.
    28. Santangelo, Grazia D., 2009. "MNCs and linkages creation: Evidence from a peripheral area," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 192-205, April.
    29. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    30. Marcela Meléndez Arjona & Maria José Uribe, 2012. "International Product Fragmentation and the Insertion of Latin America and the Caribbean in Global Production Networks: Colombian Case Studies," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 80243, Inter-American Development Bank.
    31. Crepon, B. & Duguet, E. & Mairesse, J., 1998. "Research Investment, Innovation and Productivity: An Econometric Analysis at the Firm Level," Papiers d'Economie Mathématique et Applications 98.15, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1).
    32. Criscuolo, Chiara & Haskel, Jonathan E. & Slaughter, Matthew J., 2010. "Global engagement and the innovation activities of firms," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 191-202, March.
    33. Jos� Guim�n & Juan Carlos Salazar-Elena, 2015. "Collaboration in Innovation Between Foreign Subsidiaries and Local Universities: Evidence from Spain," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(6), pages 445-466, August.
    34. Ambos, Tina C. & Ambos, Björn & Schlegelmilch, Bodo B., 2006. "Learning from foreign subsidiaries: An empirical investigation of headquarters' benefits from reverse knowledge transfers," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 294-312, June.
    35. Anupama Phene & Paul Almeida, 2008. "Innovation in multinational subsidiaries: The role of knowledge assimilation and subsidiary capabilities," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(5), pages 901-919, July.
    36. Giroud, Axèle & Scott-Kennel, Joanna, 2009. "MNE linkages in international business: A framework for analysis," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 555-566, December.
    37. Fulvio Castellacci, 2011. "How does competition affect the relationship between innovation and productivity? Estimation of a CDM model for Norway," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(7), pages 637-658, August.
    38. Isabel Álvarez & John Cantwell, 2011. "International Integration and Mandates of Innovative Subsidiaries in Spain," Institutions and Economies (formerly known as International Journal of Institutions and Economies), Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya, vol. 3(3), pages 415-444, October.
    39. De Beule, Filip & Van Beveren, Ilke, 2019. "Sources of open innovation in foreign subsidiaries: An enriched typology," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 135-147.
    40. Ulf Andersson & Mats Forsgren & Ulf Holm, 2007. "Balancing subsidiary influence in the federative MNC: a business network view," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(5), pages 802-818, September.
    41. Paulo N. Figueiredo, 2011. "The Role of Dual Embeddedness in the Innovative Performance of MNE Subsidiaries: Evidence from Brazil," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(2), pages 417-440, March.
    42. Milgrom, Paul & Roberts, John, 1995. "Complementarities and fit strategy, structure, and organizational change in manufacturing," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(2-3), pages 179-208, April.
    43. Achcaoucaou, Fariza & Miravitlles, Paloma & León-Darder, Fidel, 2017. "Do we really know the predictors of competence-creating R&D subsidiaries? Uncovering the mediation of dual network embeddedness," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 181-195.
    44. Klaus E. Meyer & Ram Mudambi & Rajneesh Narula, 2011. "Multinational Enterprises and Local Contexts: The Opportunities and Challenges of Multiple Embeddedness," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(2), pages 235-252, March.
    45. Udo Zander & Bruce Kogut, 1995. "Knowledge and the Speed of the Transfer and Imitation of Organizational Capabilities: An Empirical Test," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 6(1), pages 76-92, February.
    46. Golebiowski, Tomasz & Lewandowska, Malgorzata Stefania, 2015. "Influence of internal and external relationships of foreign subsidiaries on innovation performance. Evidence from Germany, Czech Republic and Romania," Journal of East European Management Studies, Rainer Hampp Verlag, vol. 20(3), pages 304-327.
    47. Andersson, Ulf, 2003. "Managing the transfer of capabilities within multinational corporations:: the dual role of the subsidiary," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 425-442, December.
    48. Bruno Cassiman & Reinhilde Veugelers, 2006. "In Search of Complementarity in Innovation Strategy: Internal R& D and External Knowledge Acquisition," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(1), pages 68-82, January.
    49. Gnyawali, Devi R. & Singal, Manisha & Mu, Shaohua Carolyn, 2009. "Knowledge ties among subsidiaries in MNCs: A multi-level conceptual model," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 387-400, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Conroy, Kieran M. & Jacobs, Simon & Liu, Yang, 2023. "The dual knowledge role of open innovation intermediaries: Internal weaving and external filtering for MNE subsidiaries," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    2. De Marchi, Valentina & Cainelli, Giulio & Grandinetti, Roberto, 2022. "Multinational subsidiaries and green innovation," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6).
    3. Jiang, Mengting & Fang, Jian & Yang, Yuecheng & Yu, Chengzhi & Li, Jieyi, 2024. "Supply chain concentration, industry concentration and enterprise innovation performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Scott-Kennel, Joanna & Saittakari, Iiris, 2020. "Sourcing or sharing in MNE networks? National headquarters and foreign subsidiaries as knowledge conduits in SMOPECs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(1).
    2. Liu, Ting & Li, Xizhuo, 2022. "How Do MNCs Conduct Local Technological Innovation in a Host Country? An Examination From Subsidiaries' Perspective," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(3).
    3. De Marchi, Valentina & Cainelli, Giulio & Grandinetti, Roberto, 2022. "Multinational subsidiaries and green innovation," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6).
    4. Achcaoucaou, Fariza & Miravitlles, Paloma & León-Darder, Fidel, 2014. "Knowledge sharing and subsidiary R&D mandate development: A matter of dual embeddedness," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 76-90.
    5. Marina Papanastassiou & Robert Pearce & Antonello Zanfei, 2020. "Changing perspectives on the internationalization of R&D and innovation by multinational enterprises: A review of the literature," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 623-664, June.
    6. Achcaoucaou, Fariza & Miravitlles, Paloma & León-Darder, Fidel, 2017. "Do we really know the predictors of competence-creating R&D subsidiaries? Uncovering the mediation of dual network embeddedness," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 181-195.
    7. Figueiredo, Paulo N. & Larsen, Henrik & Hansen, Ulrich E., 2020. "The role of interactive learning in innovation capability building in multinational subsidiaries: A micro-level study of biotechnology in Brazil," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(6).
    8. Buckley, Peter & Kandemir, Destan & Liu, Steven Y.H. & Gençtürk, Esra F., 2024. "An internalization perspective on subsidiaries’ reputation and its impact on subsidiaries’ marketing advantage: The moderating roles of resources and autonomy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    9. Ferraris, Alberto & Bogers, Marcel L.A.M. & Bresciani, Stefano, 2020. "Subsidiary innovation performance: Balancing external knowledge sources and internal embeddedness," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(4).
    10. Klaus E. Meyer & Chengguang Li & Andreas P. J. Schotter, 0. "Managing the MNE subsidiary: Advancing a multi-level and dynamic research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 0, pages 1-39.
    11. Conroy, Kieran M. & Jacobs, Simon & Liu, Yang, 2023. "The dual knowledge role of open innovation intermediaries: Internal weaving and external filtering for MNE subsidiaries," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    12. Beugelsdijk, Sjoerd & Jindra, Björn, 2018. "Product innovation and decision-making autonomy in subsidiaries of multinational companies," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(4), pages 529-539.
    13. Jankowska, Barbara & Götz, Marta & Tarka, Piotr, 2021. "Foreign subsidiaries as vehicles of industry 4.0: The case of foreign subsidiaries in a post-transition economy," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(6).
    14. Klaus E. Meyer & Chengguang Li & Andreas P. J. Schotter, 2020. "Managing the MNE subsidiary: Advancing a multi-level and dynamic research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 538-576, June.
    15. Lô, Amadou & Geiger, Martha, 2022. "Managing internal embeddedness in multinational corporations’ R&D subsidiaries: An evolutionary perspective on the automotive industry in Silicon Valley," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    16. Ryan, Paul & Giblin, Majella & Andersson, Ulf & Clancy, Johanna, 2018. "Subsidiary knowledge creation in co-evolving contexts," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 915-932.
    17. Pereira, Vijay & Bamel, Umesh & Temouri, Yama & Budhwar, Pawan & Del Giudice, Manlio, 2023. "Mapping the evolution, current state of affairs and future research direction of managing cross-border knowledge for innovation," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(2).
    18. Demeter, Krisztina & Szász, Levente & Rácz, Béla-Gergely, 2016. "The impact of subsidiaries’ internal and external integration on operational performance," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 73-85.
    19. Sidney Costa & Felipe Mendes Borini, 2017. "Global Innovation in Foreign Subsidiaries: The Impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Corporate Networks," Brazilian Business Review, Fucape Business School, vol. 14(4), pages 417-434, July.
    20. Si Zhang & Shasha Zhao & Ioannis Bournakis & Robert Pearce & Marina Papanastassiou, 2018. "Subsidiary roles as determinants of subsidiary technology sourcing: empirical evidence from China," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 35(2), pages 623-648, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:intman:v:27:y:2021:i:4:s107542532100034x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/601266/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.