Knowledge Transfer Management Research Articles

Enhancing international knowledge transfer through information technology: the intervention of communication culture

Nowadays, outsourcing and offshore-partnering activities have become popular business models for leading multinational enterprises. Usually, outsourcing not only helps leading multinational enterprises increase their competitive advantage, but also offers suppliers a great opportunity to learn from their international customers. Hence, it raises the issue of what factors are important for suppliers to successfully manage knowledge transfer in the international context. In the previous studies, little attention has been paid to how information technology (IT) influences cross-border knowledge transfer. In this present study, taken from the supplier’s perspective, we propose that IT can improve the quality and quantity of information exchange, and have a positive influence on cross-border knowledge transfer. Based on a sample site of 206 Taiwanese suppliers and tested by the multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) statistical approach, the empirical results reveal that a knowledge management integrated database has a positive impact on technical knowledge transfer. Additionally, when in a low-context communication culture, video conferencing has a positive impact on technical knowledge transfer and instant messaging also has a positive impact on marketing knowledge transfer. Importantly, inter-organisational IT does not have a significant impact on knowledge transfer when in a high-context communication culture.

Factors impacting knowledge transfer success in information systems outsourcing

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the key factors that facilitate or inhibit knowledge transfer success from vendors to clients in information systems (IS) outsourcing.Design/methodology/approach – The collection of data rested on semi‐structured interviews with IS/IT managers at various levels of the subject organizations and careful documents analysis.Findings – The findings suggest that knowledge transfer success in IS outsourcing is affected by four sets of factors: knowledge‐related, client‐related, vendor‐related and relationship‐related.Practical implications – This study may provide some useful insights for IS managers on how to manage knowledge transfer in IS outsourcing projects and better understand the key factors that impact its success.Research limitations/implications – This study investigated the client's perceptive only which is one side of the knowledge transfer process. A balanced understanding of the research questions (i.e. from both sides: client and vendor) permi...

The business school in transition

PurposeThis paper aims to consider the extent to which business school transition has created new opportunities in management development, knowledge transfer and knowledge creation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a critical review of knowledge exchange in a business school context with a particular focus on the “translation or management practice gap”.FindingsChange in the nature of research undertaken in business schools opens up new opportunities for collaboration between academia and practice. The paper points to the need for more innovative forms of research engagement encouraging academic‐practitioner collaboration and practice‐based management development initiatives.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper contributes to the debate on innovative forms of knowledge exchange and transfer and helps stimulate further studies examining potential approaches to fostering co‐learning and discovery and participatory forms of knowledge production.Practical implicationsChanges in business school environment and context offer opportunities for new modes of knowledge exchange both in management development and research. Practice based theory offers a new paradigm of management development.Originality/valueRecent commentators refer to notions of academia and practice as “closed systems and self referential” and point to the requirement for greater attention on knowledge transfer, and to learn from knowledge transfer studies concerning practitioner/research communities of practice, networks and collaborations. The paper addresses this deficiency in the literature and points to key areas warranting further research.

A Research on the Mechanism of Strategic Management Knowledge Transfer From MNC Headquarters to Chinese Subsidiaries

A Research on the Mechanism of Strategic Management Knowledge Transfer From MNC Headquarters to Chinese Subsidiaries

Further recommendations for trauma training of Indian medical officers and medical students

Further recommendations for trauma training of Indian medical officers and medical students

Assessing the suitability of process and information technology in supporting tacit knowledge transfer

The transfer of tacit knowledge, one of the most important issues in the knowledge sharing context, needs a multi-dimensional perception in its process. Information technology's (IT) supporting role has already been addressed in the process of tacit knowledge transfer. However, IT has its own characteristics, and in turn, may have dissimilar support suitability. On the basis of the knowledge transfer process proposed by Garavelli et al. (Garavelli, C., Gorgoglione, M., Scozzi, B., 2002. Managing knowledge transfer by knowledge technologies. Technovation 22, 269–279), this study conducts an assessment using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique to disclose (1) importance rank of transfer stages for the transfer efficacy and (2) the support suitability of IT types for the transfer stages. The assessment hierarchy has three levels, which are the goal, process and support levels. According to the 21 domain scholars and specialists' assessment analysis, the main results suggest that (1) for goal level, both the knowledge provider's and receiver's cognitive system are of more importance, (2) for process level, database techniques and information system applications obtain the higher importance in supporting the provider's cognitive system and externalisation, and (3) software tools and information system applications are more likely to support the receiver's cognitive system and interpretation. Discussion and implications are also addressed.

Managing knowledge transfer between parent country nationals (Australia) and host country nationals (Asia)

Parent country nationals (PCNs) have traditionally played an important role in international business by transferring knowledge to overseas subsidiaries. Based on a case study of an Australian manufacturer in Asia, this study shows how the knowledge gap between PCNs and host country nationals (HCNs) represents a barrier to knowledge transfer. This paper uses Polanyi's (1962) tacit triangle construct to examine the nature of this knowledge gap, and discusses how it affects the relationship between PCNs and HCNs. It develops a framework explaining how PCNs can adapt their role in response to the knowledge gap.

Knowledge transfer to partners: a firm level perspective

PurposeFirms at the center of an organizational network may benefit from educating and building up competencies of their partners. For that reason, centers often seek to transfer knowledge from the center to partner firms. They even set up systems of inter‐organizational knowledge transfer to plan, to coordinate, and to control such transfers on a firm level instead of managing single knowledge transfer projects individually. However, little systematic attention has yet been paid to such systems on a firm level. This paper seeks to analyze the managerial mechanism to decide what knowledge to transfer to what partners.Design/methodology/approachTo address this gap, data were gathered on nine leading multinational center firms. An explorative approach was adopted using case study research to look at the characteristics of network centers, network partners, knowledge, transfer channels, and programmes.FindingsIt was found that center firms offered knowledge transfer products to partners and set up portfolios of knowledge transfer programmes targeted at specific partner groups. There is further elaboration on fundamental decisions on the programmes' design, communication, access, and pricing.Originality/valueThe research contributes to shed light on how center firms manage knowledge transfer activities from the center to partners on the firm level and how they structure it in the form of programmes. Therefore, the paper does not focus on the management of knowledge transfer in particular partnerships or networks, but also considers interdependencies between individual knowledge transfer initiatives.

Knowledge management practices in Indian information technology companies

The present paper lays the foundations for the best practices in knowledge management and investigates the degree of awareness and implementation of KM principles and practices in Indian information technology (IT) companies. A purposive sample of 10 IT companies in North India was chosen for study and a survey was conducted with the objective of investigating the degree of awareness and implementation strategies of knowledge management. The present research work is based on secondary data obtained from 10 IT companies. The various phases of knowledge management (knowledge generation, knowledge codification, and knowledge transfer and knowledge application) were taken into account and data were interpreted on the basis of weighted scores for each parameter at each phase. Final conclusions were drawn on the basis of the Knowledge Management Index. The interpretation of data revealed that the Knowledge Management Index (KMI) for awareness and commitment is very high as per the pre-defined rating scale but the involvement of top management in allocating the necessary resource flow to initiate and sustain knowledge management practice is needed. It was very clear that though people are aware of the importance of documentation and it is being prepared to some extent, a lot needs to be done in this field. Only very critical information is documented and maintained in archives, whereas general information (which forms 30%–40% of daily work input) is not documented. The common perception was that there should be a mechanism through which the ideas of engineers/programmers can be implemented since the company can gain only if ideas are translated into tangible benefits. The Knowledge Management Index for awareness of intellectual property in IT companies was found to be too low, which is an area of concern, but the same was high for information technology. It was also revealed that HR professionals have to realise that true competitive advantage lies in the people and the best HR practices should be aligned to strengthen knowledge management.

Knowledge transfer and performance in Danish-Ghanaian strategic alliances

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.

Managing Knowledge Transfer in Offshore Software Development

The aim of this article is to examine the role of copresent interaction and the extent to which this can be supplanted by information and communication technology-based interaction for managing knowledge transferin distributed settings. This study draws on two case studies of small UK firms sourcing software development from India and Bangladesh. Using Nonaka and Konno’s knowledge creation theory, the role of copresent and ICT-based interactions in managing knowledge transfer is explained. The article contributes an extension of the concepts of knowledge creation theory by providing evidence of the role of copresent and ICT-based interaction for knowledge transfer in the context of offshore software development.

Organizational knowledge transfer through creation, mobilization and diffusion: a case analysis ofInTouchwithin Schlumberger

Abstract. There is a paucity of theory for the effective management of knowledge transfer within large organizations. Practitioners continue to rely upon ‘experimental’ approaches to address the problem. This research attempts to reduce the gap between theory and application, thereby improving conceptual clarity for the transfer of knowledge. The paper, through an in‐depth case analysis conducted within Schlumberger, studies the adoption of an intranet‐based knowledge management (KM) system (calledInTouch) to support, strategically align and transfer knowledge resources. The investigation was undertaken through the adoption of a robust empirically based qualitative research methodology incorporating the role of technology as an enabler of KM application. Consequently, the study addressed the important question of translating theoretical benefits of KM into practical reality. The research formulates a set of theoretical propositions that are seen as key to the development of an effective knowledge‐based infrastructure. The findings identify 30 generic attributes that are essential to the creation, mobilization and diffusion of organizational knowledge. The research makes a significant contribution to identifying a theoretical and empirically based agenda for successful intranet‐based KM, which will be of benefit to both the academic and practitioner communities. The paper also highlights and proposes important areas for further research.

Australia's Export Promotion Program: Is It Effective?

Government-supported national trade promotion programs are common around the world and universal in industrialized economies. The philosophy behind such schemes is that increased exports will add to employment in a nation, they will improve the availability of foreign exchange, offer the opportunity for local firms to generate economies of scale and deliver related spin-off effects such as the transfer of technology and management knowledge from export destinations. The article first reviews the research-based attempts to evaluate export promotion programs (EPP's) world wide and the associated problems. It then looks at the development of export promotion programs in Australia. Some recently collected data relevant to the issue is presented and comments made on the implications of this data. The article finishes with a discussion of the Australian EPP situation, implications for other countries and some ideas for future research in this important area.

Strategic human resource management and tacit knowledge transfer: A case study

What is the link between Strategic Human Resources Management (SHRM) and Knowledge transfer? That is the question we should answer in our study that is meant to be innovative thanks to the connection with Strategic Human Resources Management, considered as major factor of competencies management. To our knowledge, few studies considered this question, except some lone attempts which did not find an objective answer. The field of SHRM has gone threw a marked evolution for more than two decades, from an accounting approach to a competencies based one. The latest approach, as outcome of this evolution, advances the internal organizational capacities rather than the external constraints. We develop our analysis in this perspective (competencies based approach). Our study reports an exploratory case study which aims at understanding the HRM contribution to tacit knowledge transfer in a French crystal manufacture we named “Alpha enterprise”.

Subsidiary use of Foreign Marketing Knowledge

A source of potentially valuable knowledge in multinational enterprises is foreign marketing knowledge—that is, knowledge from one country unit that may offer value and competitive advantage to marketing managers in other country units. This article builds on marketing and management knowledge transfer research to further understand both the conditions under which one subsidiary uses external knowledge from another subsidiary and the outcomes of such use in the subsidiary's market. Using the theory of value creation and appropriation and field interviews with headquarter and subsidiary marketing managers, the authors develop a model and research propositions of the enabling, motivating, and perceiving conditions that affect foreign marketing knowledge use and subsequent effects on marketing program effectiveness and efficiency, organization identification, and intellectual capital in subsidiaries of multinational enterprises.

Promoting knowledge transfer to Czech SMEs: the role of human resource development in increasing absorptive capacity

The development of a viable and vibrant Small- and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) sector has been widely recognised as vital for sustaining the process of economic transformation in East and Central Europe (ECE). Owing to the high rate of change in competitive dynamics within transformation economies, SMEs seek to develop new knowledge themselves or, more likely, transfer, adapt and implement new knowledge obtained from outside sources in order to increase their competitiveness. The effectiveness of identifying and transferring new knowledge and best practice depends to an extent on the level of absorptive capacity of the organisation, which, it can be argued, is strongly related to its inherent level of Human Resource Development (HRD). This paper reports the initial results of a research project which investigates the priorities for HRD in SMEs to enable managers to identify, transfer, assess and implement new knowledge gained through access to external sources. The study identifies significant differences between HRD priorities identified by management and the preferences of employees and potential employees in the form of undergraduate business students. The conclusions indicate that firms should consider the importance of both their own and employees' motivational factors in managing knowledge transfer mechanisms.

Cultural distance and subsidiary roles in knowledge transfer in MNCs in China

PurposeA major challenge faced by MNCs is how to manage knowledge transfer between headquarters and subsidiaries located in dissimilar cultural contexts. While the impact of culture on knowledge transfer has been widely acknowledged, an important gap in the literature is how cultural distance (external variable) and subsidiary roles (internal variable) interact in impacting on knowledge flows in MNCs. The purpose of this paper is to present an integrative model to advance understanding of the interaction between cultural distance and subsidiary roles in the knowledge transfer process within MNCs.Design/methodology/approachAn environment‐strategy‐performance framework is developed based on a review of extant literature. A case study is used to substantiate the framework. It was conducted in an MNC in China and involved in‐depth interviews with expatriate and local managers.FindingsKnowledge transfer in MNCs is influenced by external context (cultural distance) and internal mechanisms (subsidiary roles). The direction and magnitude of knowledge flows is related to the strategic roles of the subsidiary and is influenced by cultural distance. Negative impacts are evident where cultural distance is large, with positive impacts where cultural synergies occur. Changes in Chinese cultural values impacting on knowledge transfer are also evident.Originality/valueThe conceptual model combines internal resource and external environmental perspectives. It links literature on cross‐cultural management, subsidiary roles and MNC knowledge transfer. Furthermore, it explores linkages between culture and knowledge transfer, cultural distance and subsidiary roles, knowledge transfer and subsidiary roles. The model is operationalised in a China‐based case study.

Managing knowledge transfer in distributed contexts

Managing knowledge transfer in distributed contexts

Transferring Management Knowledge in Anglo–Chinese Higher Education Collaboration

Since the initiation of China's ‘Open Door Policy’ in the late 1970s, the People's Republic of China has been considered a lucrative location for higher education partnerships, and many UK institutions have established collaborative relationships with universities in China. This paper considers the transfer of management knowledge that enables partnerships to function and thrive. In particular, it considers Chinese and UK perceptions of relationships and asks whether the conditions exist for knowledge transfer to be effective. Qualitative research was undertaken in China, Hong Kong and the UK to establish attitudes to interpersonal and interorganizational relationships. The study concludes that knowledge will be most effectively transferred where trust and social capital have been developed and where communication is open and unambiguous. However, the research indicates that there are certain cultural barriers to be overcome before the right conditions for effective knowledge transfer can be developed.

Offshore outsourcing of IT work: client and supplier perspectives

Overview of Offshore Outsourcing of IT Work Managing Knowledge Transfer and Protection of Intellectual Property: Evidence from an Industrial Equipment Manufacturer Managing Offshore Project: Evidence from a Fortune 500 Biotechnology Company Migration from Tactical to Strategic Outsourcing: Evidence from a Fortune 500 Retailer Client Lessons: Proven Practices for Managing Offshore Supplier Lessons: Managing Growth Future Trends