Cross-border interpersonal knowledge sharing within the MNE: does intra-MNE competition hinder or facilitate it?

Purpose The existing literature presents mixed findings on how intra-multinational enterprise (MNE) competition affects cross-border interpersonal knowledge sharing; some studies indicate that it hinders, while others suggest that it facilitates, such exchanges. The purpose of this study is to address this issue by proposing and testing the U-shaped curvilinear effects of intra-MNE competition on cross-border interpersonal knowledge sharing. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a survey bias test, confirmatory factor analysis and regression analysis on data gathered from a two-stage questionnaire survey of 333 R&D employees in India, representing 40 R&D subsidiaries across MNEs headquartered in 11 countries. To mitigate potential common method bias, the authors implemented ex-ante and ex-post measures. Findings The results of this study show a U-shaped effect of perceived intra-MNE competition on interpersonal knowledge sharing behaviours. The authors found that low to moderate levels of intra-MNE competition hinder cross-border interpersonal knowledge sharing within the MNE, while moderate to high levels facilitate it. Originality/value The novelty of this study lies in challenging the current linear relationship and highlighting that the impact of the perceived intensity of intra-MNE competition on knowledge-sharing behaviours varies at different competition levels.