Relational capital inside multinationals

Linking the knowledge‐based view, the multinational theory and the intellectual capital‐based view of the firm, this paper seeks to identify the main activities belonging to the relational capital of multinationals and the extent to which they contribute to knowledge development and transfer between their different subsidiaries. Six multinational and knowledge‐intensive firms placed in Spain have been analysed through a qualitative research based on a multiple case‐study. Its findings show the main relational activities that facilitate knowledge flows between the different units of a multinational. These activities are classified into four categories: relational structures (work teams, communities of practices, transnational teams, centres of excellence), tools (information and communication technologies, internal communication and publications), practices (expatriates) and socialisation. Tacit knowledge, as well as the idiosyncratic nature that most of them have, makes the relational capital of the firms studied become a source of competitive advantage.