A tri-decennia view of knowledge transfer research: what works in diffusion and development contexts

Abstract

Reporting on three decades of knowledge diffusion and utilization research, this study provides an updated, cross-disciplinary framework for viewing information and communication technologies and development. It examines research streams over time (including that of the author) and concepts from the fields of communication, organizational sociology, public administration, and political science. Attention is paid to key variables (such as interorganizational trust, absorptive capacity at the organizational and interorganizational levels, and social learning) related to the cross-cultural diffusion/utilization/adaptation of knowledge against the backdrop of interconnected public, private, and not-for profit organizations and institutions. Findings also highlight changes in variables studied over these decades within and across the research streams. These include the emergence of cross-cultural co-processes (including co-design of diffusion plans in networked settings) and their roles in successful knowledge diffusion/utilization. In sum, this meta-analysis examining research over three decades possesses implications for understanding diffusion and social change today and makes recommendations for research agendas in the decade ahead.