This study develops a conceptual model that compares the intensity of the impact of knowledge inflows from peer subsidiaries and from the headquarters in the promotion of a focal subsidiary's innovation activities, moderated by socialization mechanisms and national cultural distance. The authors test hypotheses with a dataset comprised of survey data from 202 multinational corporations (MNC) Portuguese subsidiaries. The results indicate that although knowledge inflows from both the headquarters and peer subsidiaries promote the focal subsidiary's innovations capabilities, headquarters' knowledge transfer is a superior and more efficient source of knowledge in the promotion of a subsidiary's new product development. Moreover, socialization mechanisms, both lateral and vertical integrating mechanisms, act as critical instruments that facilitate the incorporation of the incoming knowledge flows into innovation. This study extends the literature on knowledge transfer in MNCs by exploring how two sources of knowledge transfer, the headquarters and peer subsidiaries, influence a focal subsidiary's new product development, investigating socialization mechanisms and national cultural distance moderating effects.

这项研究建立了一个概念模型，该模型比较了在社会化机制和国家文化距离的调节下，在促进重点子公司的创新活动中，来自对等子公司和总部的知识流入的影响强度。作者使用包含202个跨国公司（MNC）葡萄牙子公司的调查数据的数据集检验假设。结果表明，尽管总部和对等子公司的知识流入促进了主要子公司的创新能力，但总部的知识转移是促进子公司新产品开发的一种优越且更有效的知识来源。此外，横向和纵向整合机制的社会化机制，作为促进将传入的知识流整合到创新中的关键工具。这项研究通过探讨知识转移的两个来源（总部和对等子公司）如何影响重点子公司的新产品开发，调查社会化机制和国家文化距离调节效应，扩展了跨国公司中知识转移的文献。