Expatriate Management and Technology Transfer in Multinational Corporations in Lagos: Perspectives of Local Employees

This study examines expatriate management practices and their relationship with technology transfer outcomes in multinational corporations (MNCs) operating in Lagos State, South West Nigeria. As MNCs increasingly deploy foreign nationals to manage operations in Nigeria, questions arise about whether these arrangements effectively transfer technical knowledge to local employees or primarily serve as instruments of institutional control. A descriptive survey design was employed, and data were gathered from 160 Nigerian employees in ten multinational firms across sectors including manufacturing, oil and gas, and financial services. The study is grounded in the Knowledge Transfer Theory and Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Framework. Findings reveal that technology transfer is most effective when expatriate managers actively engage in structured knowledge-sharing activities, including formal mentoring, co-working arrangements, and documentation of technical processes. Conversely, expatriates who operate in insular management enclaves with limited interaction with local staff achieve poor transfer outcomes, perpetuating dependency on foreign expertise. Cultural distance and communication barriers between expatriates and Nigerian employees are identified as significant friction points that HR departments inadequately address. Recommendations include the mandatory development of succession plans for each expatriate role, cross-cultural competency training for incoming expatriates, and performance metrics that measure knowledge transfer alongside operational targets. This study is relevant to multinational HR directors, the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, and researchers interested in technology policy and labour development. Keywords: expatriate management, technology transfer, multinational corporations, Lagos, knowledge transfer