Informal network context: deepening the knowledge and extending the boundaries of social network research in international human resource management

Abstract

While informal networking has been universally regarded as an important feature of expatriate effectiveness, respective network constructs (yongo, wasta, blat/svyazi, etc.) remain weakly understood when taking expatriates’ ability to connect to local networks into account. Drawing on informal institution and social capital theory, we present informal networks as an important contextual factor in international human resource management (IHRM), relevant to the work of expatriates in particular. We define informal networks by pointing out their distinctive nature in contrast to social networks and developing central themes to guide future research in this area. This is achieved by integrating the informal network context into research themes relevant to the IHRM domain. In this article, seven research themes centering on focal research questions are developed, which, taken together, constitute a future research agenda and expand the typical domain of IHRM research in the informal network context.

Keywords:

• International HRM
• informal networks
• guanxi
• yongo
• wasta
• blat/svyazi
• informal institutions
• social capital
• context
• expatriation

Acknowledgements

We thank Professor Mila Lazarova for her feedback and comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. We are grateful for the editorial guidance by Professor Michael Dickmann and helpful comments from the anonymous reviewers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no original data were used in this conceptual article. Data from other sources is cited where used.

Notes

1 We note that long-term self-initiated expatriates who have immigrated to another country, set up a family with a local partner abroad, lived abroad for many years, and have no intention to move somewhere else are likely to have developed a thorough understanding of informal networks and how to cope with them. Thus, this group of expatriates faces lesser challenges in this regard.

2 For a comprehensive overview of informal ties and networks, see Ledeneva (2018a).

3 As informal network constructs evolve, recent definitions of yongo include informal networks with former coworker at the workplace (Horak & Park, 2022).

4 While we try to carve out by trend the dominant notion of social networking being used for instrumental purposes, we note that there is literature exploring its function for emotional support, social companionship and well-being (e.g., Cohen & Wills, 1985).

5 We note that a recent publication that classifies ties to colleagues at work as strong ties, points out that their ties to former co-workers helped them find a job (Gershon, 2017).

6 Family-like relationships are relationships to close friends, close acquaintances, or to people one feels affiliated with by sharing a common background.

7 Ascribed to family or clan membership, being born in the same region, graduating from the same educational institution, etc.

8 Appendix A presents an overview of selected informal networks in different countries.

9 In Korea, yongo and yonjul are often used synonymously when referring to informal networks. Yonjul, however, contrary to yongo, can be defined as a network form that exists for a purpose. That purpose is often related to the achievement of benefits. The term has a negative connotation in Korean and is usually connected to unethical conduct.

10 To characterize the structure of societies in which informal networks are pervasive, sociologists often use the term “network society” (e.g. Kim, 2000; Kumon, 1992; Lew, 2013) or “network-based society” (e.g. Park & Luo, 2001).

11 For further examples and a typology of informal networks, see Minbaeva et al. (2022).

12 How multinational firms may deal with exclusive informal networks in the host country and turn their foreigner-status into a strategic relational advantage locally, has recently been pointed out by Lee et al. (2022).