Knowledge Transfer Process Research Articles

Systemic failures in north–south climate change knowledge transfer: a case study of the Congo Basin

ABSTRACT Climate change cooperation projects in the Congo Basin are often rooted in a paradigm based on scientific knowledge transfer between north and south. Their outputs, however, have often been criticized by both policymakers and scientists in Central African countries who claim that the projects are not contributing to the development of the Congo Basin. This study used the Research-Integration-Utilization framework to identify and document how the combination of power imbalances and misalignment of actors’ incentives undermined the capacity building potential of a large, multi-year north–south knowledge transfer project. Using data from documents, interviews and participant observation, we found that, under the umbrella of a development project, experts from developed countries pushed the specific aims of research toward global modelling instead of focusing on local impacts on land use in the Congo Basin, which were the primary concerns of stakeholders in the area. Moreover, both the integration and utilization phases were undermined by the power imbalance and resulted in a product of little relevance or utility for Congo Basin countries. Key policy insights As currently conducted, north–south scientific climate change knowledge transfer is not substantially supporting either the development prospects or the capacity building needs of Congo Basin countries. The main cause of this problem lies in domination of the scientific climate change knowledge transfer process by power games, along with misalignment of actors’ incentives. Identifying the interests and agendas of all actors at the integration stage before the research stage would be a useful strategy for such projects moving forward.

Knowledge transfer on sustainable bamboo forest management through social capital approach in Ngada Regency, Indonesia

Bamboo is known as multi-purposes plants and currently, has potentially used as wood substitution products. The demand for bamboo from industrial sector is even higher. Although many countries have practiced bamboo cultivation, in Indonesia Bamboo tends to be allowed to grow naturally and still lack of treatment. The threat of unsustainable exploitation can cause the decreasing of bamboo productivity and lead to its scarcity. The sustainable bamboo forest management system then emerged as a solution. But the knowledge of such system has not been transmitted massively among bamboo farmers and owners. This paper will discuss the transfer of knowledge on sustainable bamboo forest management using social capital as an approach. This paper uses data from research project conducted in 2018 to 2019, which is located in Ngada Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The results indicated that social capitals such as trust, organizations, social networks, and norms or rules are embedded with social institutions that exist among community. This research shows that Sa’o and BUMDes could be the most potential media as a means on transferring knowledge about sustainable bamboo forest systems. Both can be used as an entry point for any actors to run a small-scale bamboo industry development program. However, there are some potential obstacles could be occurred during the process of knowledge transfer, such as in-group feeling among indigenous community, the assumption that bamboo is a social good, not an economic good, do not concerned with the commercialization of bamboo, the complexity of inheritance law in the customary (adat) system, and the involvement of adat elites in political practices related local elections.

Assessing the digital health transformation with the SCIROCCO Exchange tool in Puglia Region

Abstract Have we progressed integrated care in Europe? The EU Health Programme funded project, SCIROCCO Exchange addresses this question by providing online self-assessment tool for integrated care. Among the project partners, Puglia Region and the Strategic Regional Agency for Health and Social Care (AReSS), assessed the integrated care maturity level of the six Puglia' Local Health Authorities. The SCIROCCO Exchange project provides a 12-dimensions online tool for European regions to assess their maturity in the provision of integrated care, including identification of strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement. The methodology provides the following steps: 1) selection of key stakeholders participating in the assessment; 2) conducting the individual assessments; 3) building the consensus among the involved stakeholders. The outcomes of the assessment were captured in the form of spider diagrams, highlighting Puglia' strengths and weaknesses in integrated care. The research has provided a multi-dimensional representation of the integrated care maturity level of the Puglia' Local Health Authorities. With reference to the SCIROCCO Exchange tool dimensions, major strengths include: Digital Infrastructure; Population Approach; Process Co-ordination; and Citizen Empowerment. Among the areas for improvement: Finance & Funding; Removal of Inhibitors; and Evaluation Methods were identified. The experience of using the SCIROCCO Exchange Tool have demonstrated benefits and added value of the Tool in guiding involved stakeholders towards the implementation of integrated care in Puglia and in stimulating multi-stakeholders discussions and participants' engagement. The assessment results will be used to orient an Action Plan to facilitate much more effective and tailored knowledge transfer process and provide better digital care services in Puglia.

Generalizing Transfer Bayesian Optimization to Source-Target Heterogeneity

Black-box optimization algorithms typically start a search from scratch, assuming little prior knowledge about the task at hand. In practice, this approach can be prohibitive for computationally expensive problems, as a large number of costly function evaluations are often needed before a suitable (near-optimal) solution is found. Under this observation, recent efforts have incorporated <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">transfer learning</i> capabilities into sequential model-based Bayesian optimization (BO) solvers, resulting in substantial performance speed-ups by leveraging information from related past problems. However, a common simplifying assumption in existing approaches is that the search spaces of a previously encountered <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">source</i> and the ongoing <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">target</i> task bear the same features and dimensionality, with the difference lying in their respective objective functions. In this article, we present a generalized <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">transfer BO</i> algorithm that relaxes the aforementioned assumption. Our method jointly transforms source features while training probabilistic transfer regression models for the target, thus applying to practical use-cases where (in addition to the difference in objective functions) the number of features could change across the source and target tasks; for example, features can be added and/or removed. The theoretical basis of our proposal is analyzed, and its empirical performance is demonstrated on synthetic benchmark functions as well as in realistic examples spanning engineering design and the automated configuration of a machine learning model. Note to Practitioners—Problems of industrial interest have a tendency of being repetitive in nature. For this reason, domain experts are always in high demand, as they are able to harness their experience of similar problems to come up with fast solutions in difficult situations. However, domain experts are not easy to find. Given this fact, the present paper puts forth a method for automating the process of knowledge extraction (through experiential learning) and transfer across problems in the domain of computationally expensive black-box optimization. The key novelty and motivation of this work lies in enabling the adaptive transfer of knowledge even when the number of features changes across the source and target problems. Our proposed approach is verified experimentally on a range of benchmarks as well as real-world problems of a computationally expensive nature, highlighting the utility of an optimization engine that is able to learn from experience without the need for constant human intervention.

RETRACTED: Evaluation of citizen Education of Citizen’s Green Development View based on big data

The arrival of the era of big data has brought about a new revolution in the education of ecological civilization. Citizen Education of Citizen's Green Development View based on big data is no longer a simple process of knowledge transfer, but a process of continuous knowledge generation and sharing. Big data has brought about the transformation of citizens' Education of Citizen's Green Development View technology. At the same time, it has also formed the integrity and compatibility thinking of citizens' Education of Citizen's Green Development View in the context of big data. This paper is based on the coupling analysis of big data on the citizen Education of Citizen's Green Development View module. Through the coupling of the moral education, knowledge cultivation and behavioral cultivation of citizens' ecological civilization, the design of comprehensive evaluation model, the framework and content were reconstructed, and the evaluation index system of citizen Education of Citizen's Green Development View was established.

Knowledge translation in project portfolio decision-making: the role of organizational alignment and information support system in selecting innovative ideas

PurposeThe present study aims to describe the micro-dynamics of decision-making that refer to knowledge translation pursued by organizational actors to see how they affect the travel of new ideas within the managerial practice of Project Portfolio Management (PPM). The study focuses on how the alignment of actors' meanings is reached at the organizational level and how they move towards a common direction by synthesizing information and negotiating meanings across the activities that constitute PPM. The study also investigates the intermediation function of information support systems in knowledge translation, which brokers information among those involved in the PPM practice.Design/methodology/approachThis piece of research uses an inductive, qualitative research approach and a methodological combination of case study research and grounded theory to investigate and explore the processes of knowledge transfer and translation enacted by the organizational actors (both human and non-human) involved in innovation portfolio decision-making.FindingsThe findings of this research reveal the sequence of portfolio decision-making process that confirms that PPM occurs not only in a single hierarchical level or meeting, but that decisions are made across different organizational levels in a complex network of relationships where many actors are involved. We also show that the technological artefacts have an intermediate role in knowledge translation.Research limitations/implicationsDespite referring to a single case study, the results discussed in this piece of research provides insightful evidence for academics and practitioners alike. In fact, the paper discusses organizational pre-alignment and alignment as a crucial enabler of knowledge transfer. Moreover, the intermediate role of an information support system is discussed.Practical implicationsOur study highlights the positive effect on actors' meaningful participation in PPM associated with the adoption of information support systems in PPM. Moreover, our results highlight the importance of considering a horizontal perspective in the decision-making process, so that knowledge translation occurs by leveraging on all the actors' breadth of experience and expertise.Originality/valueThis research emphasizes two organizational routines termed as decision- making preparation processes that were identified as key enablers of portfolio decision-making: cross-functional pre-alignment and an information support system.

Self-Selection of Bathroom-Assistive Technology: Development of an Electronic Decision Support System (Hygiene 2.0).

BackgroundA clinical algorithm (Algo) in paper form is used in Quebec, Canada, to allow health care workers other than occupational therapists (OTs) to make bathroom adaptation recommendations for older adults. An integrated knowledge transfer process around Algo suggested an electronic version of this decision support system (electronic decision support system [e-DSS]) to be used by older adults and their caregivers in search of information and solutions for their autonomy and safety in the bathroom.ObjectiveThis study aims to (1) create an e-DSS for the self-selection of bathroom-assistive technology by community-dwelling older adults and their caregivers and (2) assess usability with lay users and experts to improve the design accordingly.MethodsOn the basis of a user-centered design approach, the process started with content identification for the prototype through 7 semistructured interviews with key informants of various backgrounds (health care providers, assistive technology providers, and community services) and 4 focus groups (2 with older adults and 2 with caregivers). A thematic content transcript analysis was carried out and used during the creation of the prototype. The prototype was refined iteratively using think-aloud and observation methods with a clinical expert (n=1), researchers (n=3), OTs (n=3), older adults (n=3), and caregivers (n=3), who provided information on the usability of the e-DSS.ResultsOverall, 4 themes served as the criteria for the prototype of the electronic Algo (Hygiene 2.0 [H2.0]): focus (safety, confidentiality, well-being, and autonomy), engage, facilitate (simplify, clarify, and illustrate), and access. For example, users first pay attention to the images (engage and illustrate) that can be used to depict safe postures (safety), illustrate questions embedded in the decision support tool (clarify and illustrate), and demonstrate the context of the use of assistive technology (safety and clarify).ConclusionsThe user-centered design of H2.0 allowed the cocreation of an e-DSS in the form of a website, in line with the needs of community-dwelling older adults and their caregivers seeking bathroom-assistive technology that enables personal hygiene. Each iteration improved usability and brought more insight into the users’ realities, tailoring the e-DSS to the implementation context.

The relationship between innovation promotion processes and small business success: the role of managers’ dominance

Many studies on small businesses have pointed to the central role of the manager and to his/her status as centralized pivot for knowledge transfer and decision-making, encompassing the spheres of strategy and resource management. The present study is concerned with an issue that, to date, has received little scholarly attention: the level of manager dominance in processes of innovation promotion, and the impact of that dominance on business innovation and growth. Manager dominance levels in innovation management are assessed in terms of dominance in implementing internal processes of collaboration and knowledge transfer, and in creating an organizational culture that promotes innovation, as well as in terms of manager involvement in the business’s processes of engagement with external entities through the utilization of open innovation tools. The empirical study encompassed a sample of 202 small businesses in various industry sectors. The research methodology was a structured, face-to-face interview conducted with the business manager. The study findings indicate, as expected, that manager dominance in innovation promotion processes is exceedingly high. However, contrary to expectations, it was found that manager dominance level has no effect on the business’s level of innovation for any of the four innovation types—product, process, marketing, and organization—or on the business’s growth rate. These findings may indicate that small business managers have not adjusted their managerial practices to reflect market changes in which innovation is becoming the leading factor in success and growth. They appear to view innovation activity as part of their managerial tasks and they maintain their dominance as in the past, when small businesses focused mainly on achieving operational efficiency. High managerial dominance appears not to guarantee success; in order to promote innovation in small businesses and ensure their growth, other factors are needed.

A system dynamic approach for simulation of a knowledge transfer model of heterogeneous senders in mega project innovation

PurposeThe owners of mega projects typically assemble multiple academic research units and enterprises to form an innovation alliance, which carries out knowledge transfer and knowledge creation targeting technical challenges in the process of engineering construction. Due to high technical and management complexity of mega projects, factors affecting knowledge transfer among innovation subjects are complex and diverse. This study proposes a mixed system dynamics (SD) method to build and simulate the process of knowledge transfer in mega projects innovation and analyzes the driving mechanism that enhances knowledge stock of enterprises and engineering innovation results.Design/methodology/approachFirst, this paper proposes a conceptual model for knowledge transfer in mega projects by adopting event analysis of the data gained from investigations and interviews. Then, a qualitative model of knowledge transfer that considers mutual influences of the owner, academic research unit and enterprises is developed. Based on that, mathematical relationship among variables of the qualitative model is determined and a quantitative model of knowledge transfer that considers heterogeneity of knowledge sender is built. Finally, simulation is achieved using Vensim software.FindingsThe factors affecting knowledge stock of enterprises are analyzed from three aspects: (1) the individual motives and capability of academic research units and enterprises; (2) the gap between academic research units and enterprises; (3) the heterogeneity of academic research units. The results show that the willingness and capability of knowledge reception by enterprises, specific knowledge transfer context such as relational distance and organization distance between academic research units and enterprises and academic research units with high knowledge stock have key influences on the knowledge stock of enterprises.Research limitations/implicationsFactors affecting knowledge transfer within the alliance of innovation in mega projects and their correlations are highly complicated and difficult to determine. Despite massive investigations and interviews on many long-span bridges in China in this study, it is barely possible to directly obtain accurate data for all variables in the model. Limitations of historical data result in limitations on applications of the proposed model.Practical implicationsBy building the mega projects knowledge transfer model and conducting simulation analysis, this paper has generated practical values for the owners of mega projects on fostering, organizing, coordinating and managing of innovations. Especially, this study provides specific strategies and suggestions on selection of innovation subjects, motivation and guaranteed efficiency of knowledge transfer and knowledge creation of academic research units and enterprises.Originality/valueThis study proposes a conceptual model for factors affecting knowledge transfer that applies to innovations in mega project context, which fills the gap in the research of knowledge management in mega project innovations. Additionally, combining with the method of SD, the unique role of owner in knowledge transfer of mega projects and the differences among various knowledge senders and their influences on knowledge stocks of enterprises are thoroughly considered, and the research method of modeling and simulation of knowledge transfer mechanism is supplemented and extended.

Identification and Analysis of Technology and Knowledge Transfer Experiences for the Agro-Food Sector in Mexico

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the understanding of the effects generated by the technology and knowledge transfer processes in the agro-food sector, within the context of Mexico, a developing country where the economic sector is one of the most lagging in terms of technological development. To achieve this objective, academic-industry relations, key elements, results, and benefits will be examined in 87 identified cases. The analysis begins by describing the context of agriculture and the food industry in Mexico. Then, 14 cases are presented. Results show that companies implement new processes and methods or launch new products to the market, but also implement a new culture of innovation, by establishing laboratories and undertaking research areas of the firm, creating R&amp;D programs which formalize and continue with the academy-industry alliances. The elements that were not found with the expected frequency, according to international scientific publications, was the participation of an available intellectual property.

Lessons Learnt From Linking Global Recommendations With Localized Marine Restoration Schemes and Policy Options by Using Mixed Methods

In order to advance ongoing efforts in the (still emerging) field of marine restoration, different forms of knowledge must be combined: not only the biological and technical aspects of marine restoration, but also the social and cultural dimensions of marine restoration efforts. This calls for a newly combined array of methods that allows for a bridging of these different knowledge dimensions. Drawing on our experiences from the ongoing knowledge transfer processes of the INTERNAS project (Scientific Transfer of the results of INTERNational Assessments in the field of Earth and Environmental Research into the German policy context), we provide an overview of methods that were used to link global recommendations with localized marine restoration schemes and policy options. Using a mixed methods approach, we were able to capture and understand the pathways of knowledge transfer from globally synthesized scientific knowledge to local realities related to protecting and enhancing marine biodiversity in Germany. With this structured knowledge transfer approach, actionable solutions for marine conservation and restoration activities could be tailored to the specific national and regional circumstances. Using participatory methods, framework conditions like ecological, social, legal and sectoral value judgment dimensions can be identified. This allows for the development of concerted solutions and creates a common ground for good governance for marine restoration. When scientists engage not only as experts but also as reflexive facilitators in such participatory processes, it is ensured that more inclusive forms of knowledge are fostered that are necessary to better anticipate the potentials and likely pitfalls that marine restoration efforts may encounter. We conclude that existing knowledge on ecosystems, their goods and services as well as societal expectations need to be understood from the start in any kind of marine restoration effort.

Rethinking buildings. Should buildings simply be enclosures that house different functions?

This document presents BasES, which is a tool kit disseminated as an open educational resource. BasES is focused on the topic of buildings-as-energy services, promoting the knowledge integration to envisage buildings as components of future distributed renewable and interactive energy systems (DRIs). BasES will allow users of exploring and analysing DRIs' emergent properties at the local level, developing, and implementing the tool kit proposed. The specific objective concerns the use of the tool kit in the organisation of a technology support net (TSN) for buildings-as-a-service. TSN is composed of a multitude of actors, who often have different perspectives and scopes, but they are called to work collaboratively in order to establish work rules, requisite skills, work contents, standards and measures, culture and organisational patterns with regard to the emergent systems. Buildings-as-a-service is a completely new topic, and thus, an appropriate TSN is needed urgently. Our tool kit (i.e. Buildings-as-Energy-Services; BasES) will be a ground-breaking cognitive apparatus for involving stakeholders in knowledge transfer and integration processes. Thus, a new generation of product-service systems will be promoted. BasES is expected to configure a multi-stakeholder co-designed UK roadmap on socio-technical innovation in DRIs transition.

Experiences From the Field: Transforming Teaching and Learning Through Child Rights Education

Children are not just the future; they are the present. Their voices must be heard and their rights fully implemented in the here and now. Empty promises for future actions do not build communities but destroy momentum. It is therefore essential that children learn about their rights, and for these rights to be at the core of teaching. Through reflective writing, I explore my personal and professional experiences as an educator, course lecturer, researcher and Child Rights Education (CRE) consultant in learning and teaching about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) while working in Canada and abroad for over a decade. Personal reflections from workshops, trainings and desk research have led to the understanding that it is essential for children to learn about their rights and for teachers to be trained in CRE to transfer this knowledge. This process of knowledge transfer can help educators and learners transform the CRC from a symbolic text to a living document, ensuring that child rights are lived (experienced) and living (contextualized and adapted to present and emerging needs), ultimately bridging diversities, leading to equitable practices and fostering understanding, respect and inclusion in and beyond the classroom walls. Informing the research findings are a conversation about child rights, an understanding of the constructed nature of childhood, and the role of creative drama as a pedagogical approach in transferring knowledge and opening the path for creative and collaborative practices and forms of inquiry in CRE.

Impact of Knowledge Adoption and Cognitive Learning in the Knowledge Transfer Process

This study aims to investigate the influence of knowledge adoption (intention to adopt knowledge) and cognitive learning in the knowledge transfer process. The moderating impact of cognitive learning strategy is also explored. Building on cognitive learning theories, a model was developed to examine the knowledge recipient's intention to adopt knowledge and his/her cognitive learning. As this study follows quantitative approach, the model was tested empirically using a survey of 615 white-collar workers in Thailand. The results show that higher knowledge recipient's intention to adopt knowledge can enhance his/her cognitive learning. The results also show that utilizing cognitive learning strategy may only be suitable for some groups of knowledge recipients. Based on the study's findings, management teams can understand the importance of employees' intention to adopt knowledge in their learning of the transferred knowledge. Moreover, management teams can understand how to utilize the cognitive learning strategy for employees with different intentions to adopt knowledge.

The impact of knowledge transfer on the Organizational performance

Abstract While the importance of knowledge creation and management has been widely recognized as critical to the continued competitiveness and success of an organization since the 1990s, few systematic studies have been conducted on the processes of creation and knowledge management transfer in organizations. Much of what has been reported in the literature has an anecdotal nature. The development of knowledge management as a distinct domain has historically been influenced by research undertaken in a wide range of disciplines. These disciplines include sociology, psychology and philosophy. Since the early 1990s, research in the area of knowledge management has expanded into contiguous areas such as change management, systems theory, organizational theory, organizational learning &amp;development and artificial intelligence. During the past years, there has been a great deal of interest in knowledge as an organizational and commercial variable, with the need to better understand the processes of knowledge transfer in organizations. In this paper, I present and develop the following questions: What kind of knowledge should we transfer? How should we transfer knowledge between entities? What is the impact of knowledge transfer on organizational performance? To develop the previously mentioned questions, a quantitative research based on a questionnaire has been applied on a sample of 100 people who are working in a certain shared services centre. The main purpose of the research is to identify the impact of knowledge sharing on organizational performance and to analyze the importance of having a solid base of information in order to achieve excellent organizational performance. The result is that knowledge transfer has an impact on the company’s vision, continuous learning and business performance. The way knowledge is managed in a company is crucial to gain a competitive advantage, this being recognized by the respondents as important for achieving the following goals: project success and self-improvement.

Bridging the Rural-Urban Divide in Social Innovation Transfer: The Role of Values

This study examines the process of knowledge transfer between a pair of social enterprises, organizations that are embedded in competing social and economic logics. Drawing on a longitudinal case study of the interaction between social enterprises operating in emerging economy settings, it uncovers factors which influence the transfer of a social innovation from a dense, population-rich setting to one where beneficiaries are geographically dispersed and the costs of service delivery are correspondingly elevated. Evidence from the case study suggests that institutional bricolage – the crafting of improvised solutions in resource-constrained settings – can serve as potent driving force in driving innovation transfer, and that this process of re-combining available resources may be facilitated by the extent to which the values between partner social enterprises are aligned. With such alignment, social enterprise partners may be able to increase trust, develop a smoother knowledge-transfer process, and find practical solutions which facilitate the transfer of life-enhancing social innovations to neglected rural settings.

A multifactorial optimization paradigm for linkage tree genetic algorithm

Linkage Tree Genetic Algorithm (LTGA) is an effective Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) to solve complex problems using the linkage information between problem variables. LTGA performs well in various kinds of single-task optimization and yields promising results in comparison with the canonical genetic algorithm. However, LTGA is an unsuitable method for dealing with multi-task optimization problems. On the other hand, Multifactorial Optimization (MFO) can simultaneously solve independent optimization problems, which are encoded in a unified representation to take advantage of the process of knowledge transfer. In this paper, we introduce Genetic Algorithm (MF-LTGA) by combining the main features of both LTGA and MFO. MF-LTGA is able to tackle multiple optimization tasks at the same time, each task learns the dependency between problem variables from the shared representation. This knowledge serves to determine the high-quality partial solutions for supporting other tasks in exploring the search space. Moreover, MF-LTGA speeds up convergence because of knowledge transfer of relevant problems. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm on two benchmark problems: Clustered Shortest-Path Tree Problem and Deceptive Trap Function. In comparison to LTGA and existing methods, MF-LTGA outperforms in quality of the solution or in computation time.

Knowledge Transfer in Sustainable Contexts: A Comparative Analysis of Periods of Financial Recession and Expansion

Examining the knowledge transfer process in sustainable contexts, we identified various gaps, which we analyzed in this study. First, we compare the temporal context of firms with eco-innovation strategies before and after the financial crisis of the first decade of the 21st century. Second, we analyze the firms’ knowledge transfer, from the use of knowledge sources to innovation through intellectual property. Third, we consider the influence of firm age on firms with eco-innovation goals and the influence of size on intellectual property. We used data from a sample of 3004 firms prepared by the Spanish National Statistics Institute for two different time periods: 2009 and 2014. Our results suggest that firms that achieve sustainable innovations do not show large differences in behavior in the two economic periods. We found that knowledge in firms with eco-innovation goals is transferred through intellectual property. The results show that firm age and size influence these processes during the years analyzed and thus have various implications for theory and for small firms, which are generally family firms. Small and family firms should strengthen their registration of intellectual property so that their knowledge transfer process ends in innovations for both the firm and the market.

Modelling the knowledge transfer process between founder and successor in Vietnamese family businesses succession

PurposeThe transfer of knowledge has been identified as an important part of the family business succession process. This paper examines the knowledge transfer process from the founder to the successor to understand and model the factors that influence the knowledge transfer process in the Vietnamese family business context.Design/methodology/approachThis research adopts an inductive qualitative approach, conducting face-to-face semi-structured interviews with five father-son succession pairs. The interviews with founders and successors, ten in total, formed the basis of five case studies. The cases were all at an advanced stage of the process of business knowledge transfer and family business succession.FindingsA contextualized model was developed, highlighting the main factors that influence the knowledge transfer process from the founder to the successor in a Vietnamese family business context. This model identifies the influence of factors, some of which are not commonly presented in western family business literature. These include the importance of the role of the mother in mediating the relationship quality between the founder and the successor and the successor pursuing education and external work experience to improve their cognitive and reflective abilities. The need for the affinity between family members is also highlighted as important.Originality/valueIn Vietnam, most family-run businesses are still under the control of the founder. This research provides insight into the succession process in Vietnam. This research addresses calls for further exploration into the factors that influence the transfer of knowledge in the family business succession process and to research this process in a collectivist society, both of which remain under-researched.

Termination of personal relationship and their effects on knowledge sharing in supply chains

The existence of strong personal relationships (friendship, etc.) has been the subject of much research in the supply chain knowledge management literature. Many researchers have argued that such relationships have a positive impact on knowledge sharing across the supply chain. However, it is important to acknowledge that the termination of a personal relationship may well adversely affect the knowledge transfer process between the supply chain member firms. This study addresses the impact of the termination of personal relationships within the supply chain. An exploratory study was employed via semi‐structured interviews with 20 senior managers from 10 different companies based in the United Arab Emirates. The findings reveal five distinct factors that adversely affect knowledge transfer between the managers of buying and supplying firms, once their personal relationships are terminated. These factors further result in inferior knowledge transfer between the partnering firms.