International HRM research recently uncovered that expatriate integration in informal social networks overseas is a decisive factor for expatriate effectiveness. To date, the question of how, if at all, an expatriate can establish close informal ties abroad with host country nationals has, however, been neglected in research. Furthermore, based on the assumption that extant social network theories may include too many ideals of typical Western informal ties and too few features that are relevant for other regions, there is a need to thoroughly understand the nature and characteristics of informal networks. Contrary to the popular ‘strengths of weak ties’ hypothesis, in East Asia it appears to be a widely-held ideal to have or develop strong ties since weak ties are not deemed useful. The informal network literature indicates that networks are also open to varying degrees to new entrants. Whereas this corresponds to what is known about Chinese guanxi ties, Korean yongo ties are rather closed and certain ties in Japan also show a rather low level of openness. Hence, bridging of networks by a broker may work well in China in principle, but it goes against the logic of yongo-based ties in Korea, where bridging of the same tie line is nearly impossible as communities of the same tie line may feel discomfort toward each other or even hostility. Given the backdrop of these research results new horizons emerge for research in the field of expatriate integration into local informal networks.

Sven Horak is assistant professor at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, Department of Management at St. John’s University in New York. In the field of international management his research interests include the analysis of informal social network structures, the influence of informal institutions on managerial decision making behavior and Asian management. Sven has worked for several years in the East Asian automotive industry, managing operations for the Bosch Group in Tokyo, Seoul, and Stuttgart. Before joining Tobin, he was a postdoctoral Fellow and research associate funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) at the Institute of East Asian Studies (IN-EAST) and the Mercator School of Management at the Duisburg-Essen University in Germany.