ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors identify two different modes of boundary spanning in the controller and transfer agent role that can be typified as those of a teacher and an entrepreneur. With the service provider and the chameleon they then identify two modes of boundary spanning in the coordinator and negotiator role. Managers in the controller and transfer agent role primarily are concerned with implementing headquarters' strategies and standards while at the same time displacing local practices. In the case of managers in the coordinator and negotiator role, the necessity for them to immerse into the subsidiary environment and culture while at the same time maintaining the connection to the headquarters has shown to be a potentially tense challenge. The authors discuss how their research enhances the understanding of the structured and structuring features of expatriate boundary spanning.
