Knowledge Transfer Performance Research Articles

How to Arrange Texts and Pictures for Online Visitors — Comparing Basic Ceramic Display Forms with Eye Tracking

In the context of online text–picture relic exhibitions, two exploratory experiments were conducted to investigate the role of integrated/separate display, background information, and annotation type in learning tangible heritage. Using ceramics as an example, we tracked the eye movement of subjects under different display forms and tested whether they obtained the relevant information. Experiment 1 (N = 48) adopted a 2 (integrated/separate display) × 2 (with/without background information) design and Experiment 2 (N = 93) investigated distinct types of annotation (no annotation, indicative/direct/picture/contour shape annotation). We found that the following. (1) In the segmented relic display, the usage time, fixation count, and total fixation duration of relic names were lower than those in the integrated case. The probability that subjects would learn comparatively was also lower in the separate display. However, the performance on retention or transfer tests did not differ depending on the integrated/separate display. After reading the background information, subjects paid less attention to relic names but had better knowledge transfer performance. (2) The viewers’ attention allocation to the materials was not significantly influenced by the annotations. Mere visual annotations did not provide an advantage for information acquisition. By contrast, indicative verbal annotation required relatively more time for better target information memory, and the direct verbal cue consumed the least time. Based on the results, we discussed the application scenario of multimedia learning principles and potential recommendations for designing online relic displays.

Training under an extreme context: the role of organizational support and adaptability on the motivation transfer and performance after training

PurposeThe present study used the job-demands and resources (JD-R) framework to understand how the training is transferred to an extreme working context through the analysis of job and personal resources (social support from the leader and colleagues and adaptability). Specifically, the authors tested the mediating role of motivation to transfer in the relationship (1) between the perceived support from the supervisor and colleagues and performance after training and (2) between adaptability and performance in an extreme context of the pandemic crisis – the first peak of COVID-19 in Portugal. Further, an inspection of the factors that predicted knowledge transfer and adaptability under an extreme context was carried out.Design/methodology/approachTo do so, necessary training about the new safety rules regarding the pandemic crisis of COVID-19 was implemented in a healthcare institution as a strategy to help healthcare workers deal with the increasing uncertainty and complexity that was threatening their work. It consisted of three sessions (each with one hour of training) regarding procedures, rules and safety norms. The training occurred in May 2020. Overall, 291 healthcare workers participated in the study and answered one online questionnaire one week after training completion.FindingsThe results showed that the motivation to transfer had a significant indirect effect on the relationship between colleagues' and supervisors' support and performance and between adaptability and performance. Additionally, complementary analyses showed that the mediations depended on the levels of self-efficacy in such a way that the indirect relationships were stronger when self-efficacy was higher. Thus, adaptability and support, both from colleagues and the supervisor, are determining factors for knowledge transfer and resultant performance in extreme contexts, such as the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Lastly, the results showed that the most significant predictors of transference were self-efficacy and the motivation to transfer the learned knowledge. On the other hand, self-efficacy, peer support and the opportunity to use the knowledge were the most significant predictors of adaptability.Practical implicationsThese findings provide support for the role of employee motivation to transfer as a mechanism connecting both perceived support and adaptability to performance outcomes under extreme working contexts.Originality/valueThis study, conducted in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic context – an extreme and uncertain working context – shows the relevance of both job and individual factors to predict employees' adaptability to such contexts.

Multi-adversarial deep transfer network for multi-source open-set fault diagnosis of rotating machinery with category shift

Multi-source open-set fault diagnosis (MS-OSFD) with category shift is a critical challenge in industrial scenarios, as it involves potential unknown faults in the target domain and diverse label spaces across multiple source domains. The existing OSFD methods ignore the challenges posed by multiple source knowledge and category shift, resulting in incomplete fault knowledge transfer and subpar fault diagnosis performance. Aiming at the abovementioned problems, a multi-adversarial deep transfer network (MADTN) for MS-OSFD with category shift of rotating machinery is proposed. First, a multi-source fault classes matching (MSFCM) module is designed to align the data distribution of multiple source domains and alleviate the influence of category shift. Second, adversarial learning is adopted to reduce the domain gap between each pair of the source domain and target domain, and multiple fault identifiers integrated decision (MFIID) strategy is developed to obtain comprehensive predictions of target domain fault samples. Third, a global alignment (GA) is proposed based on the predictions of MFIID to further improve the domain-invariant feature extraction between domains. Finally, extensive experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed MADTN method.

Unsupervised multi-source variational domain adaptation for inter-subject SSVEP-based BCIs

Steady-State Visual Evoked Potential-based Brain–Computer Interfaces (SSVEP-based BCIs) are widely used to decode electroencephalography (EEG) data, often employing subject-specific models. However, these methods demand a substantial volume of labeled data, which tends to induce visual fatigue in subjects. To address this challenge, an efficient approach is to transfer known subject knowledge through inter-subject methods using unlabeled data. However, the previous state-of-the-art unsupervised inter-subject model is limited by the feature extraction capability of spatial filter methods. To overcome this limitation, we propose a novel Multi-source Variational Domain Adaptation (MVDA) method, which incorporates a Filter-bank Dynamic Graph Convolutional Network (FBDGCN). The FBDGCN aims to extract distinctive graph features under different harmonics from offline labeled source and unlabeled target EEG data. Subsequently, the source and target graph features are jointly trained using MVDA for domain adaptation. With proposed variational inference mechanism, MVDA can constrain the distribution manifold and minimize the domain discrepancy. Since the performance of knowledge transfer heavily relies on the similarity between source and target domains, we also propose an unsupervised subject correlation analysis method to select the source subjects from the dataset. Our experimental results demonstrate that the MVDA method yields a higher information transfer rate (ITR) (189.87 ± 24.98 bits/min) and mean accuracy (92.11 ± 2.85%). The proposed model can be calibrated only by unlabeled target subject data to obtain a higher recognition accuracy, which is more applicable to real-world scenarios.

How to poach the talents? Role of social capital and contextual knowledge base

Why do some talent mobility events succeed with big news while others result in silent failure? Recruiting experienced inventors is an important way for hiring firms to get information and reach external knowledge to gain a competitive advantage in the digital era. This research considers learning-by-hiring (LBH) to be a process of knowledge transfer from the recruit to the hiring firm and identifies the influential factors in this process. We develop an integrated model to depict the relationship among the social capital of the recruit, knowledge base of the hiring firm, and corresponding knowledge transfer performance. By combining PATSTAT and COMPUSTAT databases, we identify 25,618 interfirm mobility events. Empirical models are developed to examine the theoretical hypotheses. The analyses indicate that a firm can acquire more knowledge through hiring when they poach a recruit who has more individual social capital. Interestingly, the knowledge breadth of the hiring firm strengthens the positive effect of relational embeddedness and weakens the impact of structural embeddedness. Conversely, knowledge depth weakens the effects of relational embeddedness and strengthens the effects of structural embeddedness. This study advances our understanding of LBH, and also enriches the interplay between recruits and hiring firms from a knowledge transfer perspective.

Examining the role of intellectual capital on knowledge sharing in digital platform-based MNEs and its impact on firm performance

Non-market strategies are strategies that happen outside the marketplace. Despite their increasing relevance, they have been overlooked when studying digital platform-based enterprises. To address this gap, our study focuses on digital platforms and builds and tests hypotheses in relation to digital platform based MNEs. First, we identify several antecedents and consequences of the adoption of non-market strategies by digital platform-based multinational enterprises (MNEs). Secondly, after conducting a survey on 11 digital platform-based MNEs, we deploy the PLS-SEM technique to analyze the data. We find that intellectual capital positively influences digital platform-based MNE subsidiaries' knowledge sharing and seeking. This, in turn, positively influences coordination and cooperation that ultimately positively affect firm performance. This study makes several contributions. First, it suggests that the evolution of digital platform-based MNEs involves also non-market strategies. Second, it finds that intellectual capital is among the most relevant antecedents of the adoption of non-market strategies by digital platform-based MNEs. Third, it reveals that the adoption of non-market strategies by MNE subsidiaries is conducive to highest levels of firm performance for digital platform-based MNEs themselves. Last, it finds that coordination and cooperation represent enablers of the relationship between knowledge transfer and firm performance.

Investigating visibility affordance, knowledge transfer and employee agility performance. A study of enterprise social media

The research analyzes the associations between enterprise social media (ESM) visibility affordance (i.e., message transparency and network translucence) and employee agility performance through knowledge transfer (knowledge acquisition and knowledge provision) in organizations that have applied ESM. Utilizing the communication visibility theory, this study further examines the moderating role of task interdependence in strengthening the interactions between knowledge transfer and employee agility performance. We conducted two studies, one in China (347 samples) and the other in the United States (335 samples) to cross-culturally test our research model. Our results indicate that message transparency and network translucence have significant positive associations with employee agility performance in both studies. The findings also show that knowledge provision mediates the relationships between ESM visibility affordance and employee agility performance in both samples, while knowledge acquisition mediates the association between ESM visibility affordance and employee agility performance in the Chinese sample but not in the U.S. sample. Further, task interdependence moderates the link between knowledge acquisition and employee agility performance in China and the United States. However, task interdependence moderates the relationship between knowledge provision and employee agility performance in China but not in the United States. The implications for theory and management are also discussed.

Knowledge transfer and superior performance in entrepreneurial SMEs in emerging countries: the mediating role of absorption and learning capabilities

ABSTRACT The existing empirical evidence indicates that the relationship between knowledge transfer and performance presents mixed results and that it is not conclusive, thus it is necessary to understand the underlying mechanisms that could explain why many SMEs that transfer external knowledge fail to take advantage of this knowledge to improve their performance. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the role of absorption capacity (AC) and organizational learning capability (OLC) in the relationship between knowledge transfer (KT) and performance (P) at SMEs in emerging countries, a context in which there is little empirical evidence. The data analysis was performed using structural equations. The results confirm that the relationship between KT and P is not significant and that AC and OLC play a mediating role in the relationship between KT and P. Based on these results, SME managers that transfer knowledge should develop absorption and learning capabilities to achieve superior performance.

Influence of Knowledge Sharing, Innovation Capacity, Firm Performance in Nigerian Agro-clusters

Collaboration and cooperation among entrepreneurs and enterprises have created strategies to improve well-being and create sustainable businesses to foster regional development. Therefore, this paper investigates the relationship between knowledge sharing, innovation and socio-economic growth of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria's rabbit farming e-clusters space. The web survey method was adopted by employing five Likert scale questionnaires through social media platforms respondents. 78 valid respondents were collected from MSMEs in rabbit farming e-clusters. The hypothesis was tested using the structural equation modelling (SEM) approach. The finding suggests knowledge sharing, innovation capacity, and firm performance positively influence the socio-economic growth of rabbit farmers in e-cluster. Social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook and Telegram, prove that farmers not in the same geographical location are not a barrier to the benefit of clusters. This study proposes that knowledge sharing, innovation capacity and firm performance within an e-cluster improved the socio-economic growth of farmers. The acceptance of a physical-less business cluster that would reduce the rural-urban migration of agribusiness can be achieved. This study contributes to the literature on knowledge transfer, innovation and firm performance in e-cluster rabbit farming. A new dimension to the Industrial Cluster model by adapting to a virtual agglomeration of business and social media platforms.

The Choice of Cooperative Governance Mechanism in Open Innovation Projects under the Synergy of the Electricity–Carbon Market

Improving the level of cooperative governance of open innovation projects is a key bridge and powerful starting point for promoting the full integration and coordinated development of different market systems. Against the background of the synergy of the electricity–carbon market, this study explores how a company chooses a cooperative governance mechanism and the implementation effects of governance mechanisms. The results, based on the sample data from 175 OIPs of companies in China, show that the collaborative dependence of a company promotes the implementation of relational governance; however, it has no significant effect on contract control. Meanwhile, both relational governance and contract control have significant positive effects on knowledge transfer and cooperative performance. Moreover, knowledge transfer plays a mediating role in relational governance, contract control, and cooperative performance. The conclusion enriches the understanding of cooperative governance mechanisms, which has important implications for management research and the practice of open innovation projects. It also has certain practical significance for helping the power industry to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.

Cross‐domain state‐of‐health estimation of Li‐ion batteries based on transfer neural network with soft‐dynamic time warping

AbstractThe success of deep learning in the field of state‐of‐health (SOH) estimation relies on a large amount of battery data and the fact that all data possess the same probability distribution. While in real situations, a model based on one working condition data set may not be valid for another working condition data set due to distribution differences. Therefore, this article proposes a transfer learning method using soft‐dynamic time warping (soft‐DTW) as the statistical feature in the feature transfer method, called soft‐DTW domain adaptation network (SDDAN). By combining the prediction error with the time‐series gap in the model training process, the feature transformation can make the obtained prediction results more similar to the source domain results, which can help us to obtain better prediction results in the target domain. Experimental results show that SDDAN can effectively predict the SOH of Li‐ion batteries and significantly improve the performance of feature learning and knowledge transfer.

Improving subsidiary performance via inpatriate assignments: The role of host country national subsidiary CEOs’ social ties and motivational cultural intelligence

Inpatriation experience (i.e., working at headquarters) for host-country national (HCN) subsidiary managers is supposed to be beneficial for foreign subsidiaries’ knowledge transfer and financial performance. Applying upper echelons theory, we investigate whether HCN subsidiary CEOs with inpatriation experience promote knowledge transfer from multinational corporation (MNC) headquarters to their subsidiaries via the formation of social ties at MNC headquarters to drive subsidiary performance. Moreover, we theorize and investigate if HCN subsidiary CEOs’ motivational cultural intelligence can amplify the positive effect of inpatriation experience. Combining survey and archival data from 289 subsidiaries of MNCs in South Korea, our results partially support our theoretical model. Our findings offer important implications for expatriate staffing, inpatriation assignments, and subsidiary management.

Effects of performance management systems–strategy alignment on lecturers' engagement with knowledge transfer: A perspective from Spain

AbstractGrowing competition among higher education institutions (HEIs) explains their increasing interest in reinforcing strategies by incorporating knowledge transfer (KT) objectives into their strategic plans. However, this strategic formulation must be aligned with the implementation of performance management systems (PMSs) to properly achieve KT objectives. Thus, the aim of this paper is to examine whether aligning PMSs with KT strategic objectives improves KT performance while misalignment worsens it. To that end, PMSs are measured with respect to planning; cybernetic control; policies and procedures and reward and compensation elements. KT is specified as R&D contracts, extended patents, patents and licences. With a sample of 3812 Spanish university lecturers, we test the theoretical positive and negative effects of PMS–KT strategy alignment and misalignment on KT performance respectively. The results show not only that this alignment is effective for KT strategy implementation but also that misalignment has unintended effects on the achievement of long‐term KT objectives. Therefore, lecturers' behaviour is influenced by how closely KT strategy and PMSs are aligned. The findings are useful for managers and academics to develop PMSs that effectively contribute to the achievement of universities' strategic goals.

Developing business incubation process frameworks: A systematic literature review

The business incubation process has proven increasingly important for startups, and there are now over 10,000 incubators globally, as well as a significant body of literature on the incubation process with an array of discussions on its interventions and outcomes. It is thus now important to synthesize the available literature on how different frameworks can shape specific outcomes of the incubation and provide a research agenda for the future. Drawing on the Context, Intervention, Mechanism, and Outcome (CIMO) framework, we analyze and synthesize four key literature streams: incubator typology; incubator impact and stakeholders; resources, capabilities and technology; and knowledge transfer and incubator performance. The study facilitates a better understanding of the incubation process and the mechanisms used to shape specific outcomes and performance. It also discusses future directions of research, and help policymakers and incubation managers design interventions according to the specific incubator type and incubation process context.

Supervisors’ Roles in Training Program Culture, Training Intrinsic Motivation and Knowledge Transfer: an Empirical Study

Purpose: This study examines the mediating role of training intrinsic motivation in the relationship between supervisors’ roles in training program culture and knowledge transfer in the Malaysian public sector. Thus, the research question is, “what is the effect of the supervisors’ roles in training program culture, training intrinsic motivation on knowledge transfer in the public sector context?”
 
 Theoretical framework: The framework of the study is adopted from the attributes of (1) leadership, (2) social learning, (3) beliefs and (4) employee performance. This framework aims to provide an understanding of how these variables affect the supervisors’ roles in training program culture, intrinsic motivation and knowledge transfer.
 
 Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional study was used to collect 544 survey questionnaires from employees at different divisions/departments in the Malaysian public sector. The SmartPLS is utilized to evaluate the quality of the study’s instrument and subsequently test the study’s hypotheses.
 
 Findings: The structural equation modelling test indicated that knowledge transfer is affected by supervisors’ roles in training program culture. Hence, the effect of supervisors’ roles in the administration of training programs on knowledge transfer is mediated by training intrinsic motivation. This finding will benefit supervisors, managers and operation employees, as well as studies related to training intrinsic motivation in dynamic organizations.
 
 Research: In the theoretical context, this study confirmed that the training’s intrinsic motivation is an effective mediating variable in the relationship between supervisors’ roles in training program culture and knowledge transfer. Meanwhile, in the managerial implication, supervisors should provide direction and assistance to subordinates and practice open communication to help them enhance performance. A communication technique relevant to the work environment will help employees increase knowledge transfer and public sector performance in the future.
 
 Originality/value: This study is to refine the role of supervisors and create a culture of effective training in public sector culture. These findings should be considered by the public sector in the context of training programs.

Research and knowledge transfer performance in Colombian universities

This study analyzes the performance of Colombian universities in their research and knowledge transfer (KT) objectives in the period 2016–2018. The methodology was based on Data Envelopment Analysis models with Variable Return Scale and a Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) using different combinations of variables, considering the sensitivity of performance according to the type of variables used for its measurement. The results allowed us to identify significant gaps in research output among the studied universities. Publications and patents are the main variables that influence these differences in university performance and impact their scores. On the other hand, the MPI analysis made it possible to identify that most of the universities with the most significant improvements in the analyzed period correspond to private universities, and it was possible to recognize the importance of institutional efforts and strategies as an explanatory factor for progress in the performance of universities in the studied objectives. The results obtained formed the starting point for the discussion about the implications of some incentive policies at the national and institutional level for academic production. We also refer to the KT opportunities for Colombian universities and the measures required to promote their development.

The relationship between characteristics of the source of knowledge and knowledge transfer performance: moderated mediation examination of political skill

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to explore how knowledge source and knowledge recipient influence knowledge transfer performance through political skill and partnership quality, and in so doing to make up for the lack of research on the political skills of knowledge sources in the process of knowledge transfer.Design/methodology/approachThis research used paired-sample questionnaires to conduct a survey. One direct supervisor was paired with 1–4 subordinates; 224 other-reported questionnaires were sent out to supervisors and 896 self-reported questionnaires to subordinates. A total of 171 valid supervisor questionnaires and 511 valid subordinate questionnaires were collected. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to analyze the data.FindingsThis empirical research demonstrated that knowledge sources with political skills can promote partnership quality and influence the success of knowledge transfer.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was a cross-sectional design. Therefore, in our future research, self-report and non-self-report data will be collected in the process of questionnaire administration, and a multi-group questionnaire method (time/field isolation method) will be adopted to avoid having the same source of data. Supervisors and employees will be divided into different groups to collect sources, and the results from two different sources will be used to reduce the negative impact of common method variance.Practical implicationsExternal knowledge sources with political skills can impact recipient' knowledge transfer performance in the workplace, which means that external knowledge sources can provide the organization with innovative ideas and implementation skills.Originality/valueThe study presents a valid model that comprises the antecedents (characteristics of the source of knowledge), mediators (partnership quality), moderators (political skill) and consequences of knowledge transfer performance of firms.

An empirical investigation of the impact of social media tool usage on employees work performance among Ghana Commercial Bank Workers

Goal: The motivation of this paper is to forge and foster an insightful and comprehensive understanding of social media potential and its possible impact on Ghana Commercial Bank employees’ performance. Design / Methodology / Approach: Five cities were strategically sampled using convenient sampling technique to represent the various diversifications in corporate compositions. Data was collected from 249 workers of the Ghana Commercial Bank. The study utilized the structural equation modeling technique to construct and evaluate the proposed research model. Results: Social media usage had a significant positive relationship with employee engagement and knowledge transfer. Knowledge transfer had no significant relationship with work performance and employee engagement had a significant positive relationship with work performance. Experience with social media had a significant moderating effect on relationship between knowledge transfer and work performance. Research limitations/implications: The study covered employees from one bank and this has implications on generalization. The study used cross sectional data and employed quantitative analysis. Mixed methods would have added some insights and longitudinal data could further unravel causal relationships among overtime. Practical implications: Social media platform managers and policy makers within the banking sector should proactively harness social media platform and utilize to benefit corporate bodies. Banking authorities and allied stakeholders should train workers to ensure positive inclination to social media usage. Originality/Value: Contributes to theory by validating and establishing the theoretical model. The findings provide insights with respect to development and subsequent deployment of practical guidelines for successful integration of social media in enterprise activities.

Lateral knowledge transfer and foreign affiliate performance: The importance of affiliate strategic roles

This paper explores lateral knowledge transfer within the multinational enterprise, i.e. knowledge flow between an affiliate and its sibling affiliates, and we consider how the relationship between the affiliate and its siblings influences lateral knowledge transfer. Drawing on more than 6000 foreign affiliates in over 60 host countries, we evidence a positive and significant impact on affiliate performance from its siblings' intangible assets. We group sibling affiliates' roles into horizontal, upstream, downstream and unrelated categories accordingly to a sibling's activities in relation to its respective affiliate's value chain. Specifically, we find that the effect of lateral knowledge transfer on affiliate performance is bigger (1) when siblings are in related sectors, rather than unrelated sectors; (2) when the affiliate and siblings are in horizontal relationship, rather than vertical relationship; and (3) when siblings are upstream, rather than downstream, in the affiliate's value chain.

Literasi Teknologi Dalam Membentuk Kualitas Individu Dimoderasi Oleh Transfer Pengetahuan Untuk Peningkatan Kinerja Individu (Guru)

The purpose of this study was to examine technological skills moderated by knowledge transfer on individual qualities. In addition, to examine the effect of technology skills mediated by individual qualities on individual performance. This study involved 39 respondents who were randomly selected from high school teachers in Ponorogo. This study consists of 4 (four) variables consisting of independent variables, moderation, mediation and dependent variables. The variables in question are; technological skills (X), knowledge transfer (Z), individual quality (Y1), and individual performance (Y2). Findings: The findings in the study are that technology skills have a positive and significant effect on individual quality, then technology skills have a positive and significant effect on individual performance. Individual quality has no significant effect on individual performance. Furthermore, knowledge transfer cannot mediate the effect of technological skills on individual qualities.