Repatriate Knowledge Transfer: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Expatriates acquire highly valuable knowledge during their international assignments, but knowledge transfer upon their return to the domestic organization often fails. Since the first empirical study in 2000, scholars have advanced the competency-based view of repatriation by developing conceptual models of repatriate knowledge transfer and examining the antecedents of successful transfer attempts. However, much empirical research still remains to be done. In order to guide future empirical research, I present the results of a systematic review of the literature on repatriate knowledge transfer between 2000 and 2015. The extant research results are synthesized into a multilevel framework that consists of factors on the individual, dyadic, and organizational level that influence repatriate knowledge transfer success. In addition, I identify theoretical and methodological shortcomings of the literature, and discuss avenues for future research as well as implications for practitioners.