Knowledge transfer and performance in Danish-Ghanaian strategic alliances

Abstract

Although knowledge transfer within international strategic alliances has attracted plenty of scholarly attention, there is a paucity of research about the knowledge transfer process, the type of knowledge transferred, and the impact of the transferred knowledge on alliance performance, especially within developed?developing country-based strategic alliances. Using a knowledge transfer and performance model, this paper investigates how Danish companies transfer knowledge to their Ghanaian counterparts, the type of knowledge transferred, and the impact of the transferred knowledge on the performance of the alliances. The study adopted a multiple case study approach and collected data through personal interviews. The study found that Danish partners transferred mostly technical or coded knowledge through on-the-job training, a method unsuitable for transferring tacit or management knowledge. Moreover, the transferred knowledge did not positively impact the performance of most of the alliances. The paper highlights the implications of the findings for managing knowledge transfer in alliances.