Managerial careers across borders have been treated as a cross-cultural phenomenon in most research. Within a transnational corporation, however, managerial mobility patterns should be taken seriously as an element of organizational capability. Following this theme, the article proposes a new approach to managerial work experience patterns in complex multinational corporations. Tuomo Peltonen suggests a typology of generic career patterns which is based on a view of different situational career step contexts. Implications for management development and general human resource management are discussed. © 1993.