Learning in interaction and liability of foreignness. The case of an Italian firm in Russia

The aim of this paper is to discuss the relation between liability of outsidership and liability of foreignness focusing on cultural learning processes in interaction. The concepts of “liability of foreignness” and “liability of outsidership” are studied with reference to the internationalization process of the firm. The liability of foreignness is related to the concepts of psychic and cultural distance, while the liability of outsidership has to do with the uncertainty and difficulties associated with being an outsider in relation to a certain network. Our focus is on the shift from the liability of foreignness to the liability of outsidership, as proposed in the literature, and we hypothesize that this may be studied as a shift of focus from the importance of distance to the importance of interaction. The paper contributes by providing an understanding of learning in interaction as a way to overcome the liability of outsidership, and the possible implications on the liability of foreignness.