An integrative model for knowledge transfer between new product development project teams

Abstract

Knowledge transfer (KT) between new product development (NPD) project teams is considered by many authors as a process. A variety of works in literature have proposed models to elucidate such a KT process and its stages. However, the nomenclature used to describe these models and the proposed KT stages present large heterogeneity. Researchers from different fields have studied the KT processes; hence, there have been different interpretations or approaches for the same problem. This study presents a comparison of 14 KT models organized in two main research approaches: the emergent approach (which considers the dynamics and integration of the team) and the engineering approach (which considers the organization and management of knowledge). The comparison is based on content analysis. The main contribution of this paper is the proposition of a new model for KT between NPD project teams, integrating the previous models so as to provide a more complete and consistent KT framework.