The relationships among global leadership competencies, self-efficacy, openness and knowledge transfer

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships among global leadership competencies, personal characteristics, and knowledge transfer in Korean multinational corporations. The target sample of this study was primarily composed of employees working on global assignments in their organizations or who were working with global stakeholders at the time of the survey. They were also selected for their participation in international competency training programs provided by a corporate learning center. The total number of respondents was 127 (91%) out of 140 randomly selected employees from the organizations. Global leadership competencies were divided into five factors according to exploratory factor analysis (EFA): cross-cultural adaptability, innovation, vision and strategy, communication, and global mindset. Innovation was the most highly perceived competency among respondents, while cross-cultural adaptability received relatively lower scores. Global leadership competencies had a direct significant effect on knowledge transfers. In particular, cultural adaptability, innovation, and communication had a positive impact on knowledge transfer. In terms of personal characteristics, self-efficacy and openness had a positive impact on the employees' perceptions regarding knowledge transfer. A moderating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between global leadership competencies and knowledge transfer was found. That is, when an individual has a higher level of self-efficacy to achieve goals, then the degree of global leadership competencies including communication and global mindset are positively related to knowledge transfer. Finally, this study provides implications for future research and practices in global leadership competencies and international human resource management.