Discussion Papers In Economics
And Business

Functional and Linguistic Bridging in Multinational Corporations:
Moderating Effect of Cultural Identity Integration

Ting Liu, Tomoki Sekiguchi, and Wirawan Dony Dahana

Discussion Paper 18-26

Graduate School of Economics andOsaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP)
Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, JAPANFunctional and Linguistic Bridging in Multinational Corporations:
Moderating Effect of Cultural Identity Integration

Ting Liu, Tomoki Sekiguchi, and Wirawan Dony Dahana

Discussion Paper 18-26

August 2018

Graduate School of Economics andOsaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP)
Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, JAPANFunctional and Linguistic Bridging in Multinational Corporations: Moderating Effect ofCultural Identity Integration
Ting Liu†

Tomoki Sekiguchi

Wirawan Dony Dahana

Abstract
In this study, we explore the role of functional and linguistic bridging in
multinational corporations (MNCs) using a sample of 200 Japanese employees working inJapanese overseas subsidiaries. We draw on the social network theory and Job DemandsResources (JD-R) model to advocate the idea that bridging roles (functional and linguistic
bridging) influence team-member exchange (TMX) and emotional exhaustion positively via
the mediating role of occupational social capital and role conflict. We found that employees
who possess low cultural identity integration were more versatile in moderating between abridging role, team member relationships, and emotional outcomes. Our findings make atheoretical contribution in exploring bridging roles from both the positive and negative sides
of international business. We suggest that although bridge individuals can lead to positive
team member relationships, they can also signal emotional burnout stemming from role
conflict. We also offer suggestions on how to recognize cultural identity integration as aresource in elaborating on bridging roles and mitigating negative emotional outcomes.

JEL Classification: M10, M14, M16
Keywords: functional bridging; linguistic bridging; cultural identity integration;
team-member exchange (TMX); emotional exhaustion†

Graduate School of Economics, Osaka University, 1-7 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka
560-0043 Japan. Email: tliu@cbi.osaka-u.jp
Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University. Email: tomoki@econ.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Graduate School of Economics, Osaka University. Email: dony@econ.osaka-u.ac.jp

Today, multinational corporations (MNCs) are increasingly recognizing the resilienceof individuals who have internalized and identified with more than one culture and language(Brannen & Thomas, 2010; Fitzsimmons, Liao, & Thomas, 2017). These individuals arecalled bridge individuals, defined as individuals who have specific language skills acting as
bridging roles between different language groups in MNCs (Harzing, Köster, & Magner,
2011).
Because of their multidimensional activities, bridge individuals have been seen as
knowledge-transferring nodes, gatekeepers, conduits for acquiring resources, and influence
agents (Aldrich & Herker, 1977; Ancona & Caldwell, 1992). Bridge individuals can take avariety of roles such as reducing the distance between individuals in a network and spreading
information rapidly throughout a network (Granovetter, 1973, 1983).
In MNCs, bridge individuals in host country subsidiaries face cultural and language
problems that employees in headquarters cannot address. Bridge individuals need to act inbridging roles not only among different teams and team members, but also among different
languages and cultures. Language skills and cultural skills are resources for bridge
individuals’ roles (Barner-Rasmussen, Ehrnrooth, Koveshnikov, & Mäkelä, 2014).
Nevertheless, the way bridge individuals interact with others when serving their bridging roleis still not well explored (Sekiguchi, 2016).
Functional Bridging and Linguistic Bridging in MNCs
Bridge individuals are likely to overcoming language barriers. Bridge individuals
include expatriates, inpatriates, and nonnative locals and act as linking pins in MNCs
(Harzing et al., 2011). There are various terms with similar meanings in the prior literature,such as cultural mediators, linking pins, go-betweens, bridge builders, cultural brokers, andboundary spanners. Bridge individuals can be understood as having the same function as
boundary spanners in the multilingual and multicultural context. The scope of boundaryspanners is broader than that of bridge individuals (Sekiguchi, 2016) because they can be usedin all constructs such as intergroup and intragroup organizations and to describe individuals
facilitating interactions between two groups (Ancona & Caldwell, 1992; Callister & Wall,
2001; Richter & West, 2006). Bridge individuals focus more on MNCs with multilingual andmulticultural environments. Barner-Rasmussen et al. (2014) synthesized four boundaryspanning functions: information exchanging, linking, facilitating, and intervening.
Similar to other organizations, MNCs are made up of clusters such as departments or
teams, and even clusters divided by age, nationality, or language. In the current research, wedefine clusters in the multinational companies into rigid clusters and malleable clusters. Rigid
clusters cannot be changed subjectively such as in different departments in the companies.
Malleable clusters are defined as fluid clusters that can be changed by subjective factors, suchas language and culture clusters. To amplify the role of multilingual bridge individuals in
MNCs without confusing them with the traditional bridges, we will differentiate the terms
functional bridging and linguistic bridging in this study to describe the different roles ofbridge individuals.
We define the bridging role that straddles rigid clusters as functional bridging and thebridge among malleable language clusters as linguistic bridging. Specifically, we use the termfunctional bridging to describe those employees who have a functional exchanging, linking,facilitating, and intervening role in the intergroup relations and between different divisions in
MNCs. For example, the role of bridge individuals bridging different functional departments(e.g., marketing departments or human resources departments) is functional bridging. We
utilize the term linguistic bridging to describe bridge individuals from the linguistic
perspective, such as in the exchanging of information, linking, facilitating, and intervening
among different language groups.

Highlighting the Positive and Negative Sides of Bridging Roles
In-group and out-group biases foster tightly knit cliques, and bridge individuals
connect different clusters, making it a small world. We examine the role of bridge individuals
working in MNCs from the positive and negative perspective. Bridge individuals straddle theborder in MNCs (Fitzsimmons et al., 2017), and they act as ties and bridges in the network oforganizations. We discuss how bridge individuals can shape intergroup relationships (i.e.,
team-member exchange) as the positive outcomes and emotional exhaustion as the negative
outcome. We discuss cultural identity (i.e., cultural identity integration), serving as anactivator and a tranquilizer on occupational social capital in social networks and role conflictas the job demands.
We aim to explore the interactive relationship between bridge individuals and others
when bridge individuals act as a bridge between in-groups and out-groups. The purpose ofthis study is to establish the association between bridging roles and positive social exchange
relationships (i.e., team-member exchange) and negative emotional outcomes. We aim tohighlight both the positive and negative sides of bridging roles by referencing cultural identity
integration as a resource. The way in which bridging roles interact with social exchange
relationships and emotional outcomes within MNCs can aid both practitioners andresearchers. We draw attention to the bridging role among different language groups andexplore culture and language as resources for bridging roles.
-----------------------------------------------Insert Figure 1 about here------------------------------------------------

Theoretical Background and Development of Hypotheses
We utilize social network theory, social capital framework, and Job DemandsResources (JD-R) theory to delineate the role of functional bridging and linguistic bridging ininterorganizational relationships and the moderating effect of cultural identity integration.
Integrating the Positive Effect of Bridging Roles with Social Network Theory
Social network theory explains that bridge individuals act as a connection between
clusters within the organization (Sekiguchi, 2016). Social network theory provides individual
actors such as people, teams, or organizations with channels through which social interactions
and exchanges occur. It also establishes opportunities and constraints not only for actors
occupying specific positions in the network, but also for the whole network and different
regions within the network. According to social network theory, there are many types ofclusters, which can be different departments or ethnic groups in an organization (Cross,Parker, & Sasson, 2003). In MNCs, clusters include not only the departments, divisions, andteams, but also different cultural and language groups. Yip, Ernst and Campbell (2009) define
five dimensions of boundaries in organizations: vertical, horizontal, stakeholder,demographic, and geographic. These types of boundaries can also be seen as a way of
distinguishing clusters in the organizations.
A bridging tie is seen as a potential source of novel information, because bridge
individuals are not assigned bridging activities as the majority of their job, nor do they devote
the majority of working time in bridging roles, they always perform their bridging activities
as part of their normal job (Harzing et al., 2011). Thus, bridge individuals can be seen as ties,
connecting clusters in MNCs. They facilitate information spreading and diffuse norms andvalues.
Extant empirical research provides support for the association between social capitaland social networks. For example, Lin (1999) defined social capital as access to and use ofresources embedded in social networks. Investment in social networks can facilitate the flowof information and provide useful information regarding opportunities. Bridge individuals associal ties can also carry more valued resources and even exercise greater power. According
to social network theory, bridge individuals can be seen as connectivity in a network, carrying
information, resources, etc. through the network (Moody & Paxton, 2009). Individuals’ social
tie resources and their acknowledged relationships can be conceived as certifications of theindividuals’ social credentials by the organization or its members. Therefore, bridge
individuals have more accessibility to resources through social networks reflecting their social
capital (Lin, 1999). We thus hypothesize,
H1a: Functional bridging is positively related to occupational social capital.
H1b: Linguistic bridging is positively related to occupational social capital.
Team-member exchange (TMX) represents an individual’s perception of the exchange
quality of his or her role in relationship interactions with other team members (Seers, 1989).
Seers (1989) discussed the construct of TMX to represent the reciprocal exchange among
peers within a team. TMX has been used as a team member’s perception of “the reciprocity
between a member and his or her team with respect to the member’s contribution of ideas,
feedback, and assistance to other members and, in turn, the member’s receipt of information,
help, and recognition from other team members” (Seers, Petty, & Cashman, 1995). Therefore,
TMX describes exchange activities with team members in their shared role as team members
rather than as unique individuals (Banks et al., 2014). TMX represents how individuals
interact with other team members as they maintain team identity roles and focus more on the
dyadic relationships among team members but not on individuals.
In organizations, individuals who make more of a commitment and facilitate more insocial attachment contribute more in effective working relationships, can establish highquality reciprocal exchange with other team members, and make on-the-job experiences more

enjoyable (Banks et al., 2014). Individuals who invest more effort into valuing high-quality
relationships within the team will receive respect from team members (Banks et al., 2014).
This will encourage some individuals to forge strong and harmonious relationships for TMX(Banks et al., 2014). Because bridge individuals are ties and bridges in organizations, theyfacilitate social attachment and contribute more in working relationships. They establish highquality interactions within intergroup relations with team members via the resources they areembedded in, which can be seen as social capital. Thus, we hypothesize,
H2a: Functional bridging is positively related to TMX, mediated by occupationalsocial capital.
H2b: Linguistic bridging is positively related to TMX, mediated by occupationalsocial capital.
Exploring the Dark Side of Bridging Roles with the JD-R Model
The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007; Bakker,
Demerouti, De Boer, & Schaufeli, 2003; Bakker, Demerouti, & Verbeke, 2004) states thatstressors in the workplace are produced by the relationship between two categories: job
demands and job resources. Job demands represent characteristics of the job that require
effort or skills associated with physical and physiological costs. Job resources refers to all
aspects of the job that can facilitate the completion of tasks and reduce job demands. To
interpret job demands and resources in the current research context, the JD-R model
assimilates predictors of burnout (emotional exhaustion). Job demands include workoverload, role conflict, and emotional demands that require effort and skills from bridge
individuals. Job resources, on the other hand, represent all aspects of organizational
characteristics that can facilitate the completion of the job and reduce emotional demands.
When bridge individuals act as bridges among clusters in the organization, not only do
positive effects—as discussed above—occur, but negative influence also occurs. Becausebridge individuals perform their bridging role as part of their normal job (Harzing et al.,2011), when their capacity cannot meet the requirements from both their main job and theirbridging job, the bridging role will cause job stressors and role conflict will happen.
H3a: Functional bridging is positively associated with role conflict.
H3b: Linguistic bridging is positively associated with role conflict.
Burnout is “a syndrome of emotional exhaustion and cynicism that frequently occurs
among individuals who do ‘people work’ of some kind” (Maslach & Jackson, 1981, p. 99). In
other words, it is “. . . a state of exhaustion in which one is cynical about the value of one’s
occupation and doubtful of one’s capacity to perform” (Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1996, p.
20). Burnout is composed of three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, andpersonal accomplishment (Maslach & Jackson, 1981). In the current study, we focus on theemotional exhaustion dimension. When an inadequate dyadic relationship happens between
the bridging role and the resources they have, role conflicts occur, as job demands can further
intensify emotional exhaustion (Maslach, Schaufeli, & Leiter, 2001). Thus, we hypothesize,
H4a: Role conflict mediates the relationship between functional bridging andemotional exhaustion.
H4b: Role conflict mediates the relationship between linguistic bridging andemotional exhaustion.
The Moderating Role of Cultural Identity Integration
Networks are increasingly seen as a structure of clusters of diverse individuals,
groups, and organizations working collaboratively. The network approach targets theassociations and interactions of members rather than individual attributes or behaviors. Key
underpinnings of networks are composed of nodes and ties. Nodes represent the actors in the
network who hold positions within the structure. Ties represent the relationships among actors
who form the structure. Bridge individuals occupy key structural positions in networks,

affording opportunities and constraints on their actions. The social network approachadvocates for individuals to be identified and provides information and materials on
processing communication and interventions to amplify networking functions (Long,
Cunningham, & Braithwaite, 2013).
Mok and colleges (2007) demonstrated that bicultural identity integration influences
who bicultural people interact with. Their research indicates that bicultural people with more
integrated cultural identity interact with more host culture members to verify their embracingof the host country culture. Regarding the bridging role in MNCs, a highly integrated cultural
identity will diminish the bridging role because bridging roles only focus on the mixing andblending of interactions rather than the dyadic bridging of both home and host clusters. In thissituation, both the home country employees and host country employees will view bridge
individuals as outsiders.
Adaptability and linguistic bridging are highest for individuals with the mostinconsistent cultural identity integration (Fitzsimmons et al., 2017). This means employees
who have a low cultural identity integration can straddle two cultures and switch the role
being played as needed; therefore, low cultural identity integration helps amplify the effect ofoccupational social capital on TMX.
Emotional exhaustion is generally observed due to higher job demands andinsufficient job resources available to employees (Hu, Schaufeli, & Taris, 2011). Cultural andlanguage skills also serve as key factors and resources in reducing emotional exhaustion. Low
cultural identity as a cultural skill can diminish the influence role conflicts have on emotional
exhaustion. Thus, we hypothesize the moderating role of cultural identity integration as,
H5a: The indirect effect of functional bridging on TMX, via occupationalsocialcapital, is moderated by cultural identity integration such that the indirect effectis stronger when cultural identity integration is low, but weakens when cultural
identity integration is high.
H5b: The indirect effect of linguistic bridging on TMX, via occupational social
capital, is moderated by cultural identity integration such that the indirect effect isstronger when cultural identity integration is low, but weakens when cultural identity
integration is high.

H6a: The indirect effect of functional bridging on emotional exhaustion, via role
conflict, is moderated by cultural identity integration such that the indirect effect isstronger when cultural identity integration is high, but weakens when cultural identity
integration is low.
H6b: The indirect effect of linguistic bridging on emotional exhaustion, via role
conflict, is moderated by cultural identity integration such that the indirect effect isstronger when cultural identity integration is high, but weakens when cultural identity
integration is low.
Methods
Participants and Procedure
We conducted a survey study with 200 Japanese employees (mean age = 46.41, mean
tenure = 4.08; 69.5% were male) working in overseas Japanese subsidiaries through a thirdparty online survey administration company in Japan (China 27.5%; Korea 2.5%; other East
Asian countries 10%; Southeast Asia 24%; South Asian 3%; Europe 4.5%; North America
13.5%; Central and South America 2%; Oceania 4%; others 9%). All of the participants wereof Japanese nationality. They were expatriates from Japanese headquarters (48.5%) or
expatriates from other countries (7.5%) and Japanese employees recruited from the hostcountries (44%).

Measures
All measures except for control variables, language interpreting times, languages
spoken, and foreign language proficiency were measured using a seven-point Likert scaleranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The wording of the items was
slightly revised to fit the current research context and translation from Japanese.
Functional bridging. We measured functional bridging with a 10-item scale adaptedfrom Ancona and Caldwell (1992). A sample item is, “I keep other teams/divisions in thecompany informed of my team/division’s activities.” We reworded the items slightly to theteam and division context to fit the study. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.94.
Linguistic bridging. We measured linguistic bridging with a two-item scale
developed by Fitzsimmons, Liao, and Thomas (2017) and a four-item scale modified from thedata coding of Barner-Rasmussen and colleges (2014). The two-item scale included
languages spoken and language interpreting items, which were, “How many languages dothey know well enough to interpret for a college at which that language was spoken(including Japanese)?” and “How many times were participants asked to interpret in the past
week?” The four-item scale was composed of the boundary spanner functions described inBarner-Rasmussen et al. (2014): exchanging, linking, facilitating, and intervening. A sampleof the original item is, “I intervene between different language groups to help them resolve
language misunderstandings, manage conflicts, and build trust between each other.”
Cronbach’s alpha for linguistic bridging was 0.75.
Occupational social capital. We measured occupational social capital with a six-item
scale developed by (Ng & Feldman, 2010). The wording of the items was then slightly
modified from questions to statements. An example of the item is, “I am good at building
relationships with influential people at work.” Cronbach’s alpha was 0.90.

Role conflict. Participants indicated their role conflict on a role-stressor measuredeveloped by Rizzo, House, and Lirtzman (1970). We selected a five-item role conflict
subscale relevant to our study. The wording of the selected items was then slightly modified
to fit the study context. One item sample is, “I work with two or more groups who operate
quite differently.” Cronbach’s alpha was 0.85.
Cultural identity integration. We measured identity integration with a nine-item
blendedness subscale from the revised bicultural identification inventory validated by Huynh(2009) and one original item that we developed (see Appendix for details). One item sample
is, “I do not blend my Japanese and XXX cultures.” Cronbach’s alpha was 0.68 (albeit
marginally).
TMX. We measured TMX with a 10-item scale developed by Seers, Petty, andCashman (1995). The wording of the items was then slightly modified to a declarative
sentence from an interrogative sentence. A sample of the item is, “I am flexible aboutswitching job responsibilities to make things easier for other team members.” Cronbach’s
alpha was 0.96.
Emotional exhaustion. We measured emotional exhaustion with a nine-item subscalefrom the measurement of experienced burnout developed and validated by Maslach andJackson (1981). The wording of the items was then slightly modified. A sample of the item is,“I feel emotionally drained from my work.” Cronbach’s alpha was 0.94.
Control variables. We controlled for age, gender, industry, and tenure years in thecompanies (including tenure working both in the headquarters and subsidiaries) because thesefactors can affect the dynamics of social capital and network in the organizations. We also
controlled for foreign language proficiency. Barner-Rasmussen et al. (2014) discussed
language skills as resources for boundary-spanning activities. Because employees with highlanguage skills tend to be language nodes (Marschan-Piekkari, Welch, & Welch, 1999), they

can access more information from formal or informal interactions; thus, when employees
have high foreign language proficiency, they can act more between host clusters and homeclusters, within groups or without groups. They can bring more novel information fromoutside groups, which can enhance the relationships between team members and leaders.
Hence, controlling foreign language proficiency is necessary. We measured foreign language
proficiency (for both the local language and English) using a 10-item scale generated by Liu
and Jackson (2008). A sample of the item is, “I rate my reading ability, listening ability,
writing ability, speaking ability, and overall local language proficiency and English language
proficiency as . . .” Cronbach’s alpha was 0.95.
Results
Preliminary Analyses
Prior to hypothesis testing, we first conducted a confirmatory factor analysis using thelavaan package in R (Rosseel, 2012) to ensure that the seven variables (functional bridging,
linguistic bridging, occupational social capital, role conflict, cultural identity integration,
TMX, and emotional exhaustion) in the model had adequate validity. Because the original
measures in this model consisted of many indicators, we reduced the number of indicators
following the item-parceling approach used by Mathieu and Farr (1991). We reduced thenumber of items for functional bridging, occupational social capital, cultural identity
integration, TMX, and emotional exhaustion to three factors. The confirmatory factor analysis
results indicated that the hypothesized seven-factor model would have a good fit to the data,(χ2 [254] = 596.87, p < .01; TLI = 0.90; CFI = 0.91; SRMR = 0.08; RMSEA = 0.08). These
results provide support for the validity of the measures used in this study. Descriptive
statistics and correlations of the individual- and team-level variables are provided in Table 1.

-----------------------------------------------Insert Table 1 about here-----------------------------------------------We used ordinary least squares regression to test Hypotheses 1a, 1b, 3a, and 3b.
Functional bridging was positively associated with occupational social capital (adjusted R2 =0.23, β = 0.40, p < 0.01; see Table 2), which supported Hypothesis 1a. As shown in Table 3,
linguistic bridging was positively associated with occupational social capital (adjusted R2 =0.16, β = 0.34, p < 0.01), and Hypothesis 1b was also supported. Similarly, Hypotheses 3aand 3b were supported because functional bridging was positively associated with role
conflict (adjusted R2 = 0.15, β = 0.38, p < 0.01; see Table 4), and linguistic bridging was
positively related to role conflict (adjusted R2 = 0.10, β = 0.35, p < 0.01; see Table 5). To test
Hypotheses 2a, 2b, 4a, and 4b, we conducted bootstrapping-based mediation tests using the
PROCESS macro (Hayes, 2013). As Preacher and Hayes (2008) recommended, we estimatedthe indirect effect of functional and linguistic bridging on TMX and emotional exhaustion via
occupational social capital and role conflict using unstandardized coefficients and abootstrapping procedure with 5,000 resamples to produce a 95% confidence interval aroundthe estimated indirect effects. The bootstrapped indirect effect was significant if the 95%
confidence interval excluded zero.
---------------------------------------------------------------Insert Table 2, Table 3, Table 4, Table 5 about here---------------------------------------------------------------Results revealed that functional bridging activity was associated with TMX, mediatedby occupational social capital (indirect effect = 0.17, SE = 0.04, 95% CI [0.08, 0.25]; direct
effect = 0.28, SE = 0.07, 95% CI [0.15, 0.41]; total effect = 0.45, SE = 0.07, 95% CI [0.32,
0.57]). Additionally, linguistic bridging activity was associated with TMX, mediated byoccupational social capital (indirect effect = 0.16, SE = 0.05, 95% CI [0.06, 0.28]; direct effect= 0.25, SE = 0.07, 95% CI [0.10, 0.40]; total effect = 0.41, SE = 0.08, 95% CI [0.25, 0.56]).
Thus, Hypotheses 2a and 2b were supported. In terms of Hypotheses 4a and 4b, functional
bridging activity was associated with emotional exhaustion, mediated by role conflict(indirect effect = 0.13, SE = 0.05, 95% CI [0.04, 0.24]; direct effect = 0.12, SE = 0.09, 95% CI[−0.07, 0.30]; total effect = 0.25, SE = 0.09, 95% CI [0.06, 0.44], and linguistic bridging
activity was associated with emotional exhaustion, mediated by role conflict (indirect effect =0.15, SE = 0.05, 95% CI [0.06, 0.25]; direct effect = 0.04, SE = 0.08, 95% CI [−0.12, 0.20];
total effect = 0.19, SE = 0.08, 95% CI [0.03, 0.36]. Hypotheses 4a and 4b were supported.
Together, these results provide support for Hypotheses 2a, 2b, 4a, and 4b.
-----------------------------------------------Insert Table 6 about here-----------------------------------------------To test Hypotheses 5a and 5b, we began by examining the interactive effect ofoccupational social capital and cultural identity integration on TMX. We conducted an
ordinary least square regression to examine this interactive effect. We entered occupationalsocial capital, cultural identity integration, and control variables in Step 1 (adjusted R2 = 0.30,
p < 0.01; Model 4 in Tables 2 and 3). In Step 2, we entered the interaction term (β = −0.16, p< 0.05; Model 5 in Table 2) to the indirect relationship from functional bridging to TMX via
occupational social capital, which explained significantly more variance than Step 1 (adjusted
R2 = 0.36, ΔR2= 0.06, p < 0.01; Model 5 in Table 2). In terms of Hypothesis 5b, we again
entered the interaction term (β = −0.14, p < 0.10; Model 5 in Table 3) to the indirect
relationship from linguistic bridging to TMX via occupational social capital, which also
explained significantly (albeit marginally) more variance than Step 1 (adjusted R2 = 0.34,

ΔR2= 0.04, p < 0.01; Model 5 in Table 3). These results provide initial support for Hypotheses
5a and 5b.
-----------------------------------------------Insert Figure 2 and Figure 3 about here-----------------------------------------------To aid in interpretation, we plotted Figures 2 and 3, which had the expected directions
as we hypothesized. We then utilized the method introduced by Hayes (2013) to test thesimple slope at one standard deviation above and below the mean of the moderator terms. As
hypothesized, when cultural identity integration was high, the effect of functional bridging on
TMX mediated by occupational social capital was significant and weaker (conditional
indirect effect = 0.13, SE = 0.06, 95% CI [0.01, 0.24]). When cultural identity integration waslow, the mediated model was significantly stronger (conditional indirect effect = 0.22, SE =0.07, 95% CI [0.10, 0.38]). Regarding the mediated model of linguistic bridging on TMX via
occupational social capital, similarly, when cultural identity integration was high, themediated model was significantly weaker (conditional indirect effect = 0.13, SE = 0.06, 95%
CI [0.03, 0.27]), and when cultural identity integration was low, the mediated model was
significantly stronger (conditional indirect effect = 0.20, SE = 0.08, 95% CI [0.07, 0.37]).
Thus, Hypotheses 5a and 5b were supported.
We followed the same procedure in testing Hypotheses 6a and 6b. In Step 1, role
conflict, cultural identity integration, and control variables were entered (adjusted R2 = 0.22, p< 0.01; Tables 4 and 5). In Step 2, results suggested after the inclusion of the interaction term,
the mediated model (Functional bridging à Role conflict à Emotional exhaustion) explained
more variance (adjusted R2 = 0.23, ΔR2= 0.01, p < 0.01; Table 4) but was not significant. The
mediated model (Linguistic bridging à Role conflict à Emotional exhaustion) explained morevariance (adjusted R2 = 0.23, ΔR2= 0.01, p < 0.01; Table 5), and the interaction term wassignificant (β = 0.17, p < 0.10; Model 5 in Table 5), albeit marginally.
-----------------------------------------------Insert Figure 4 about here-----------------------------------------------We examined graphs of the significant two-way interactions shown in Figure 4, whichwere in the expected direction. We then utilized the method introduced by Hayes (2013) totest the simple slope at one standard deviation above and below the mean of the moderator
terms. As hypothesized, when cultural identity integration was high, the mediated model of
linguistic bridging on TMX via occupational social capital was significant and stronger(conditional indirect effect = 0.18, SE = 0.07, 95% CI [0.05, 0.31]). When cultural identity
integration was low, the mediated model was significantly weaker (conditional indirect effect= 0.09, SE = 0.05, 95% CI [0.01, 0.21]). Therefore, Hypothesis 6b was supported but
Hypothesis 6a was not supported. In summary, all the hypotheses except Hypothesis 6a were
supported by the current data analysis.
Discussion
Across the empirical study in Japanese overseas subsidiaries, we found support for our
hypotheses that bridging roles have mixed effects on emotional outcomes and team member
relationships in MNCs. On one hand, both functional bridging and linguistic bridging signify
occupational social capital in the organizations, which in turn is positively associated with
TMX. On the other hand, they increase role conflict, which in turn is positively related toemotional exhaustion. We further demonstrated that these mediated effects were moderated
by cultural identity integration. Especially, employees working overseas with low cultural
identity integration were likely to promote occupational social capital and reduce role
conflict. Below, we discuss the theoretical contributions and practical implications.

Theoretical Contributions
This study focused on bridge individuals and their bridging role. Bridge individuals
were mentioned by Harzing and colleges (2011), but the bridging role has not been exploreddeeply, especially not through quantitative methods. As we know, this study first utilized aquantitative research method to demonstrate the role of bridging in intergroup relations andon personal perception. We also categorized bridging roles from functional and linguistic
perspectives, highlighting the bicultural and foreign language context. We probed thisassociation utilizing social network theory and JD-R theory. The findings suggest thatbridging roles have both a positive and negative effect. In terms of the positive impact,
bridging roles can amplify intergroup relations such as TMX. On the other hand, bridging
roles can also foster negative emotional outcomes such as emotional exhaustion. Our findings
shed light on the question of whether there are any negative outcomes of bridging roles.
Furthermore, we delineated the moderating role of cultural identity. These findings
highlight the significance of cultural identity, giving support to the idea that cultural identity
can also be a resource of fostering the association between bridging roles and outcomes. We
found that lower cultural identity integration can exacerbate the effect of bridging roles on
emotional outcomes and team member relationships. This finding can be seen as the result oftreating cultural skills as resources (Barner-Rasmussen et al., 2014). Fitzsimmons andcolleges (2017) argued that individuals who have a separate cultural identity are more likely
to associate with different cultures and bridge networks. We provided further evidence on theargument that the straddling of cultures plays a determinant role in bridging
interorganizational clusters.
Finally, language research is becoming incrementally prominent in international
business. We conceptualized the linguistic bridging role as a new perspective to exploringbridging roles in MNCs. As one element of the potential research of multiculturalism andmultilingualism, we advocate the relationships between language-based bridging and cultural
identity moderation.
Practical Implications
Our findings also provide practical implications for both the employees andcompanies. Based on our findings, we contend that bridging roles have a profound impact onintergroup relationships, and they may also have a negative impact on emotional outcomes.
Employees who are bicultural or bilingual, or who are working in a multicultural or
multilingual environment, can use our framework to help them recognize their attributions
and functions in the clusters they belong to. We suggest that although bridge individuals canlead to positive team member relationships, they can also lead to emotional burnout stemmingfrom role conflict.
Second, because emotional exhaustion can be fostered when individuals behave as
bridge individuals and exert bridging roles among different clusters, especially when they
have separate cultural identity, MNCs should also care about their employees’ emotional andattitudinal outcomes in addition to their behavioral outcomes.
Third, because cultural identity integration can mitigate the negative effect of thelinguistic bridging role and amplify the positive effect of both bridging roles, MNCs should
offer insights for their employees to help them recognize their cultural identity. MNCs should
not only offer language training for employees who work in multicultural environments, butalso should emphasize the significance of promoting cultural philosophy and providing
identity training to their employees. For firms based in their home countries that are trying torecruit international employees, integrating cultural training is also pivotal.
In the current research, we also controlled the host country language rather than only
considering English as Lingua Franca because local language interacts more with local
identity. Also, because there are many countries or regions where people cannot speak

English at a high level, local language domination is relatively high. For Japanese firms thathave already established businesses overseas, learning local languages becomes significant. In
those overseas locations, Japanese firms should adopt a corporate language based on local
languages and cultural factors, but it should not be limited to Japanese or English.
Limitations and Future Research Directions
In the current research, our sample was Japanese employees working in overseasbased subsidiaries. Bridge individuals can also be foreign employees from host countries orother countries working in subsidiaries, or foreign employees working in the headquarters.
Future research can extend the research range from host country nationalities to othernationalities.
In addition, we included cultural identity but did not include organizational
identification and group identification. Because organizational identification and group
identification also influence effective intergroup relations (Richter et al., 2006), future
research can take further steps to explore the impact of group identification, organizational
identification, and cultural identity on bridging roles.
Finally, the survey items of bridging roles were based on boundary spanning.
Although the bridging role of bridge individuals is similar to boundary spanning activities, thefocal point of bridging roles is different from spanning functions, especially when bridge
individuals are in a multicultural context and when culture and language are seen as resourcesof bridging roles. Thus, future research might examine how to build a new, rigorous measurefor both functional and linguistic bridging roles.
Conclusion
In this research, we looked at the pros and cons of functional and linguistic bridging
roles in MNCs, utilizing social network theory and the JD-R model. Our findings examined
the interplay of functional and linguistic bridging roles, emotional outcomes, and TMX via

mediations of occupational social capital and role conflict. We also looked at the positive roleof low cultural identity integration, which can also be seen as a resource in fostering bridging
roles and mitigating negative emotional outcomes. We aimed to build research highlighting
bridge individuals in MNCs and to connect national culture to the language context ininternational business. Cultural identity and language should be included in the strategy loopof a company, and intergroup relations can be bolstered through bridge individuals.
Companies should also beware of the negative emotional outcomes via bridging activities.

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Table 1
Descriptive Statistics and Correlations of Study Variables

1. Functional bridging
2. Linguistic bridging
3. Role conflict
4. Occupational social capital
5. Cultural identity integration
6. Emotional exhaustion
7. TMX
8. Age9. Gender
10. Industry
11. Tenure
12. Foreign language proficiency

M

SD

4.10

1.02

3.44

0.92

4.47

1.13

4.11

0.98

3.87

0.72

3.86

1.21

4.48

1.04

46.41

10.82

1.30

0.46

10.57

4.92

4.08

2.01

5.38

2.23

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

0.71**
0.36**

0.28**

0.44**

0.38**

0.41**

0.04

0.15*

0.05

0.16*

0.20**

0.22**

0.35**

0.17*

−0.11

0.45**

0.37**

0.35**

0.52**

0.10

0.01

−0.09

−0.20**

0.13†

−0.11

−0.13†−0.18 *

0.08

−0.08

0.07

−0.11

0.10

0.21**

−0.06

0.05

−0.36**−0.16*−0.12†−0.13†

−0.04

0.01

−0.00

−0.16*−0.02

0.25**

0.06

0.05

0.08

0.10

0.00

0.15*

0.09

0.28**−0.19**−0.15*

0.17*

0.32**

0.11

0.28**

0.30**

0.07

0.20**−0.23**

0.27**

0.04

0.05

Table 2
Regression Analyses for the Positive Path of Functional Bridging

Variables
Functional bridging
Occupational social capital
Cultural identity integration
Occupational social capital × cultural identity integration
Control variables
Age
GenderIndustry
TenureForeign language proficiency
Adjusted R2
R2
F

DV =
Occupationalsocial capital
Model 10.40**(0.06)−0.00 (0.01)
0.20 (0.15)
0.00 (0.01)
0.05 (0.03)
0.08* (0.03)
0.23
0.26
11.10**

DV = TMX
Model 20.45**(0.07)

Model 30.28**(0.07)
0.41**(0.07)

Model 40.56**(0.07)
0.03 (0.09)−0.14† (0.07)

Model 50.29**(0.07)
0.43**(0.07)
0.05 (0.09)−0.16* (0.07)

0.02**(0.01)
0.36* (0.16)−0.03† (0.01)
0.01 (0.03)
0.06† (0.03)

0.02**(0.01)
0.27†(0.15)−0.03* (0.01)−0.01 (0.03)
0.03 (0.03)

0.02**(0.01)
0.18 (0.15)−0.03* (0.01)−0.01 (0.03)
0.03 (0.03)

0.02**(0.01)
0.28† (0.15)−0.02† (0.01)−0.00 (0.03)
0.01 (0.03)

0.24
0.27
11.61**

0.35
0.38
16.61**

0.30
0.33
11.89**

0.36
0.39
13.68**

Table 3
Regression Analyses for the Positive Path of Linguistic Bridging

Variables
Linguistic bridging
Occupational social capital
Cultural identity integration
Occupational social capital × cultural identity integration
Control variables
Age
GenderIndustry
TenureForeign language proficiency
Adjusted R2
R2
F

DV =
Occupationalsocial capital
Model 10.34**(0.07)−0.00 (0.01)
0.10 (0.16)−0.00 (0.01)
0.05 (0.03)
0.07* (0.03)
0.16
0.18
7.17**

DV = TMX
Model 20.41**(0.08)

Model 30.25**(0.07)
0.47**(0.07)

Model 40.56**(0.07)
0.03 (0.09)−0.14† (0.07)

Model 50.25**(0.07)
0.49**(0.07)
0.02 (0.09)−0.14† (0.07)

0.02**(0.01)
0.25 (0.17)−0.03* (0.01)
0.00 (0.04)
0.05 (0.03)

0.02**(0.01)
0.20 (0.15)−0.03* (0.01)−0.02 (0.03)
0.02 (0.03)

0.02**(0.01)
0.18 (0.15)−0.03* (0.01)−0.01 (0.03)
0.03 (0.03)

0.02**(0.01)
0.21 (0.15)−0.03* (0.01)−0.01 (0.03)
0.00 (0.03)

0.17
0.20
7.99**

0.33
0.36
15.22**

0.30
0.33
11.89**

0.34
0.37
12.38**

Table 4
Regression Analyses for the Negative Path of Functional Bridging
Variables
Functional bridging
Role conflict
Cultural identity integrationRole conflict × cultural identity integration
Control variables
Age
GenderIndustry
TenureForeign language proficiency
Adjusted R2
R2
F

DV = Role
conflict
Model 10.38**(0.08)

0.02* (0.01)−0.09 (0.18)−0.01 (0.02)−0.01 (0.04)
0.05 (0.04)
0.15
0.17
6.71**

DV = Emotional exhaustion
Model 20.19* (0.08)

Model 30.04 (0.08)
0.40**(0.07)

Model 4
0.41**(0.07)−0.31**(0.12)
0.16 (0.10)

Model 50.04 (0.08)
0.40**(0.08)−0.31**(0.12)
0.16 (0.10)−0.03**(0.08)−0.33 (0.20)
0.02 (0.02)
0.12**(0.04)−0.00 (0.04)−0.04**(0.01)−0.30 (0.19)
0.03 (0.02)
0.12**(0.04)−0.02 (0.04)−0.04**(0.01)−0.24 (0.19)
0.02 (0.02)
0.13**(0.04)
0.01 (0.04)−0.04**(0.01)−0.23 (0.19)
0.02 (0.02)
0.13**(0.04)
0.01 (0.04)

0.09
0.12
4.24**

0.20
0.23
8.21**

0.22
0.26
8.38**

0.23
0.26
7.45**

Table 5
Regression Analyses for the Negative Path of Linguistic Bridging
Variables
Linguistic bridging
Role conflict
Cultural identity integrationRole conflict × cultural identity integration
Control variables
Age
GenderIndustry
TenureForeign language proficiency
Adjusted R2
R2
F

DV = Role
conflict
Model 10.35**(0.09)

0.02* (0.01)−0.18 (0.19)−0.02 (0.02)−0.01 (0.04)
0.05 (0.04)
0.10
0.13
4.82**

DV = Emotional exhaustion
Model 20.25**(0.10)

Model 30.12 (0.09)
0.38**(0.07)

Model 4
0.41**(0.07)−0.31**(0.12)
0.16 (0.10)

Model 50.14 (0.09)
0.39**(0.07)−0.33**(0.12)
0.17† (0.10)−0.03**(0.01)−0.37† (0.20)
0.02 (0.02)
0.12**(0.04)−0.01 (0.04)−0.04**(0.01)−0.30 (0.19)
0.03† (0.02)
0.12**(0.04)−0.03 (0.04)−0.04**(0.01)−0.24 (0.19)
0.02 (0.02)
0.13**(0.04)
0.01 (0.04)−0.04**(0.00)−0.23 (0.19)
0.02 (0.02)
0.12**(0.04)
0.00 (0.04)

0.10
0.12
4.51**

0.21
0.24
8.46**

0.22
0.26
8.38**

0.23
0.27
7.75**

Note (Tables 1–5). n = 200. †p < 0.10, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01; gender: 1 = male, 2 = male; industry: 1 = agriculture, 2 = forestry, 3 = fisheries, 4 = mining, 5 =construction, 6 = manufacturing industry, 7 = electricity, gas, and energy, 8 = information communication, 9 = traffic, 10 = retail, 11= finance or insurance, 12 =real estate, 13 = catering or acommodation, 14 = medical care and welfare, 15 = education, 16 = composite service, 17 = hospitality, 18 = public officials, 19 =other; tenure: 1 = less than 1 year, 2 = 1–3 years, 3 = 4–6 years, 4 = 7–10 years, 5 = 11–15 years, 6 = 16–20 years, 7 = more than 20 years.

Table 6
Summary of Indirect Effects and Conditional Indirect Effects
Path and Effects
Functional bridging à Occupational social capital à TMX
Indirect effects
Moderated mediation
High cultural identity integration
Low cultural identity integration
Indirect difference
Linguistic bridging à Occupational social capital à TMX
Indirect effects
Moderated mediation
High cultural identity integration
Low cultural identity integration
Indirect difference
Functional bridging à Role conflict à Emotional
exhaustion
Indirect effects
Linguistic bridging à Role conflict à Emotional exhaustion
Indirect effects
Moderated mediation
High cultural identity integration
Low cultural identity integration
Indirect difference

Estimates (S.E.)
0.17

95% CI(0.04)[0.077, 0.250]

0.13 (0.06)
0.22 (0.07)−0.09 (0.09)[0.006, 0.239][0.100, 0.376][−0.293, 0.054]

0.16(0.05)[0.063, 0.276]

0.13 (0.06)
0.20 (0.08)−0.07 (0.08)[0.031, 0.271][0.074, 0.368][−0.253, 0.059]

0.15(0.05)[0.060, 0.245]

0.13(0.05)[0.043, 0.243]

0.18 (0.07)
0.09 (0.05)
0.08 (0.07)[0.050, 0.314][0.008, 0.212][−0.046, 0.218]

Figure 1. Theoretical model of the current research.

Figure 2. The interactive effect of cultural identity integration and occupational social capital on the indirect relationship between functional bridging and
TMX.

Figure 3. The interactive effect of cultural identity integration and occupational social capital on the indirect relationship between linguistic bridging and TMX.

Figure 4. The interactive effect of cultural identity integration and role conflict on the indirect relationship between linguistic bridging and emotional
exhaustion.