The influence of motivation, opportunity, ability, and tacitness on repatriate knowledge transfer

This paper examines the dyadic aspect of repatriate knowledge transfer using time-lagged multi-source data from 101 knowledge transfer dyads comprised of repatriates as knowledge senders and domestic work unit members as knowledge recipients. We investigate the success of repatriate knowledge transfer upon the return of repatriates to their home countries. Specifically, we build on communication theory in combination with the motivation-opportunity-ability framework of work performance to hypothesize that repatriate ability and motivation to transfer knowledge, recipient ability and motivation to receive knowledge, and formal and informal opportunities for interaction will significantly improve repatriate knowledge transfer success. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the three dimensions of knowledge tacitness-codifiability, teachability, and complexity-will also affect knowledge transfer success. We find that repatriate motivation, recipient ability, recipient motivation, and formal opportunities to interact significantly improve repatriate knowledge transfer success rates, whereas low codifiability decreases success rates.