Knowledge Transfer in Interorganizational Partnerships: What do we know?

Abstract

This paper reviews the literature on knowledge transfer in inter- organizational partnerships. Our aim is to assess the advances in this field by addressing the questions: What factors impact knowledge transfer in interorganizational partnerships? How do these factors interact with each other? We carried out a systematic literature review in ten top journals between 2000-2017. We identified three overarching themes, which were organized according to fourteen research questions. The first theme discusses knowledge in itself and elaborates on aspects of its attributes. The second theme presents the factors that influence interorganizational knowledge transfer at the macroeconomic, interorganizational, organizational and individual levels. The third theme focuses on the consequences, namely effectiveness and organizational performance. In addition to providing a synthetic overview, we propose a novel theoretical framework that links antecedents, process and outcomes. Our analysis also identifies aspects that are either less well researched or contested. We conclude by suggesting directions for future research, methodological improvements and guidance for practice.