In Search for New Knowledge: When Does Hiring Foreign R&D Workers Foster Exploration?

Wolf-Hendrik Uhlbach; Paul-Emmanuel Anckaert

doi:10.5465/AMBPP.2021.210

In Search for New Knowledge: When Does Hiring Foreign R&D Workers Foster Exploration?

Wolf-Hendrik Uhlbach, Paul-Emmanuel Anckaert

Department of Strategy and Innovation

SKEMA Business School

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference abstract in proceedings › Research › peer-review

Abstract

This paper examines how firms’ recruitment of high-skilled foreign R&D workers affects firm-level exploration. We argue that by hiring foreign R&D workers, firms are more likely to gain access to novel and complementary knowledge, which will foster exploration. Examining a sample of 376 Danish R&D active firms over the period from 2001 to 2013, we show the effect is most pronounced when foreign R&D hires originate from geographical backgrounds that are represented to a lesser extent within firms’ incumbent R&D workforce. Moreover, we show that this effect holds, even when the cognitive distance between these new hires and firms’ incumbent R&D workforce is low. Finally, we highlight the temporary nature of this “exploration premium” as these results only hold for newly hired foreign workers.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of the Eighty-First Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management
Editors	Sonia Taneja
Number of pages	6
Place of Publication	Briarcliff Manor, NY
Publisher	Academy of Management
Publication date	2021
Article number	210
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2021.210
Publication status	Published - 2021
Event	The Academy of Management Annual Meeting 2021: Bringing the Manager Back in Management - Online, Virtual, Online Duration: 29 Jul 2021 → 4 Aug 2021 Conference number: 81 https://aom.org/events/annual-meeting

Conference

Conference	The Academy of Management Annual Meeting 2021
Number	81
Location	Online
City	Virtual, Online
Period	29/07/2021 → 04/08/2021
Internet address	https://aom.org/events/annual-meeting

Series	Academy of Management Proceedings
ISSN	0065-0668

Bibliographical note

Conference entry title: "In search for new knowledge: When does hiring foreign R&D workers foster exploration?".

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Best paper

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abstract = "This paper examines how firms{\textquoteright} recruitment of high-skilled foreign R&D workers affects firm-level exploration. We argue that by hiring foreign R&D workers, firms are more likely to gain access to novel and complementary knowledge, which will foster exploration. Examining a sample of 376 Danish R&D active firms over the period from 2001 to 2013, we show the effect is most pronounced when foreign R&D hires originate from geographical backgrounds that are represented to a lesser extent within firms{\textquoteright} incumbent R&D workforce. Moreover, we show that this effect holds, even when the cognitive distance between these new hires and firms{\textquoteright} incumbent R&D workforce is low. Finally, we highlight the temporary nature of this “exploration premium” as these results only hold for newly hired foreign workers.",

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Uhlbach, W-H & Anckaert, P-E 2021, In Search for New Knowledge: When Does Hiring Foreign R&D Workers Foster Exploration? in S Taneja (ed.), Proceedings of the Eighty-First Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management ., 210, Academy of Management, Briarcliff Manor, NY , Academy of Management Proceedings, The Academy of Management Annual Meeting 2021, Virtual, Online, 29/07/2021. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2021.210

In Search for New Knowledge: When Does Hiring Foreign R&D Workers Foster Exploration? / Uhlbach, Wolf-Hendrik; Anckaert, Paul-Emmanuel.
Proceedings of the Eighty-First Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management . ed. / Sonia Taneja. Briarcliff Manor, NY : Academy of Management, 2021. 210 (Academy of Management Proceedings).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference abstract in proceedings › Research › peer-review

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