Nationality, Cultural Distance, and Expatriate Status: Effects on the Managerial Network in a Multinational Enterprise

We study the role of three characteristics of international managers—nationality, cultural distance, and expatriate status, for their network ties. A network analysis of cross-subsidiary interactions among 457 managers in an MNE demonstrates that managers form strong expressive ties with peers with smaller cultural distance and from the same status group. However, managers form strong instrumental ties with peers who are different on these background characteristics. The implications for international management theory and practice are discussed.