When and why host country nationals give advice to expatriates: A relational work context perspective
基于社会互依理论和关系信号理论，研究任务互依性和外派人员寻求建议如何共同影响东道国国民提供建议的行为，对跨国企业管理有参考价值。
This study advances our understanding of how a relational work context can promote host country nationals’ (HCNs’) advice-giving behavior. Drawing from social interdependence theory and relational signalling theory, we develop a multilevel model to demonstrate how task interdependence and expatriate advice seeking can jointly influence HCNs’ advice giving. Using data from 795 HCNs nested within 159 expatriates, we find that at the HCN level (Level 1), task interdependence facilitates HCNs’ prosocial motivation and advice-giving behavior. Also, at the expatriate level (Level 2), task interdependence facilitates expatriates’ advice-seeking behavior, which further has a cross-level interaction effect with HCNs’ task interdependence in predicting HCNs’ prosocial motivation and ultimate advice-seeking behavior. We discuss the implications for theory and practice. • Task interdependence facilitates expatriate advice-seeking behavior. • Task interdependence facilitates HCNs’ prosocial motive and advice giving. • A cross-level interaction effect of expatriates’ advice-seeking behavior.