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This study explores the dimensions and attributes of credibility in knowledge transfer. It finds that there are four dimensions: 'scientific credibility', expertise, authority and stance. Credibility is characterised by several attributes: it is transferable; it is context-dependent; and it is subject to constant assessment. The notion of 'credibility work' describes the ways in which credibility in knowledge transfer is not an inherent or static characteristic of persons, but rather an achieved and actively constructed result of specific actions taken by knowledge producers and knowledge users in their social contexts. Many knowledge transfer practices can be framed as credibility work.

AbstractDespite increasing research on reverse knowledge transfer (RKT) from subsidiaries to headquarters (HQs), there is no academic consensus on the primary determinants influencing RKT. By incorporating four different facets (i.e., absorption, sharing, implanting, and application of market knowledge) of the phenomenon, we draw new insights into RKT. Through empirically testing the phenomenon in the Korean context, we reveal that market knowledge absorption by subsidiaries is a critical component that influences the knowledge integration mechanisms (KIMs) within MNC networks. Furthermore, KIMs within MNC networks are primary keys for absorptive capacity (AC) of HQs and knowledge relevance between HQs and subsidiaries. Our results extend our understanding of RKT, while also offering useful implications for MNCs that intend to establish subsidiaries in foreign markets. Copyright © 2016 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AbstractAn alliance often involves one firm acquiring an equity stake in its alliance partner. We explore oligopoly models that capture the link between knowledge transfer and partial equity ownership (PEO), where alliance partners can choose the level of PEO. PEO can increase the alliance partners' profitability by inducing knowledge transfer, but the PEO itself reduces their joint profit because it induces other firms to take more aggressive actions. This trade‐off endogenously determines the level of PEO, which can benefit consumers and/or improve welfare. Given the growing antitrust interest in PEO, we explore the antitrust implications of our analysis.

Knowledge transfer within organizations has important implications for organizational performance and competitive advantage. In this virtual special issue, we review articles on this topic published in Organization Science between 2014 and 2020 and identify 53 articles for their theoretical and empirical contributions. These articles examine knowledge transfer through five transfer mechanisms: social networks, routines, personnel mobility, organizational design, and search. We consider the intersection of each transfer mechanism with important components of knowledge transfer (characteristics of sources/recipients, characteristics of knowledge, and characteristics of contexts). We present 15 exemplar articles, each of which reflects the intersection of a mechanism and a component of knowledge transfer. We also present an overview of the methodological approaches and empirical contexts that are utilized. We conclude our article with a discussion of future research opportunities. The articles published in Organization Science have advanced understanding of both the mechanisms through which knowledge transfer occurs and the conditions under which it is most likely.

Trabajo presentado al 7th Biennial International Conference on University, Industry & Government Linkages celebrado en Glasgow (UK) del 17 al 19 de Junio de 2009. ; In recent years, considerable attention has been paid to the effectiveness of knowledge transfer processes between academia and industry. Although there is growing evidence that the characteristics of individual researchers are important when explaining cases of successful transfer, few studies have taken the individual researcher as their unit of analysis. This study aims to use social network theory techniques to gain a better insight into knowledge transfer processes. In particular, we study how the characteristics of ties among individuals, and the interdisciplinary and pervasiveness of research affects the diversity of knowledge transfer activities. To this end, we conduct an empirical study among researchers in the field of nanotechnology. This sector is chosen for its interdisciplinarity and its expected pervasiveness. Data was collected using a survey conducted in Spain and in The Netherlands, allowing us to correct for some environmental and context effects. ; This research has been partially supported by a grant from the Spanish National Research Plan (Project ref.: SEJ2005-05923/EDUC) ; Peer reviewed

Employees are motivated intrinsically as well as extrinsically. Intrinsic motivation is crucial when tacit knowledge in and between teams must be transferred. Organizational forms enable different kinds of motivation and have different capacities to generate and transfer tacit knowledge. Since knowledge generation and transfer are essential for a firm's sustainable competitive advantage, we ask specifically what kinds of motivation are needed to generate and transfer tacit knowledge, as opposed to explicit knowledge.

Purpose – Cluster initiatives are projects established by local or national governments to foster the competitiveness of organizations and territories through the facilitation of informal and formal ties among firms that may improve knowledge diffusion, innovation, and new product development. Such projects are managed by project managers, or sometimes by organizations, whose main objectives are a) ensuring network development through the facilitation of interfirm linkages and b) envisioning the path for cluster development. The paper represents an attempt to investigate what happens when the agglomeration project terminates and clustered organizations are not anymore subject to the stimuli toward knowledge transfer exerted by cluster managers. Design/methodology/approach – We study the knowledge network underlying an Italian high-tech cluster initiative through Social Network Analysis. We coded networks of formal and informal ties with a variety of contents, observed at two points in time, namely 2015 (when the cluster project was terminated) and 2017. We compare the observations of the network at the two points in time in order to assess the changes occurred after the cluster manager's facilitation activity ceased, particularly focusing on whether clustered firms changed their networking behaviour when "the plug was disconnected". Originality/value – The original element of this study lies in the analysis of the networking behaviour of the firms after the termination of the cluster initiative. While there exist abundant research and evidence about both geographical clusters and public policies aimed at fostering ties among clustered firms, far less is known about how lasting the effects of these policies are. This study contains evidence that clustered firms did not maintain the same relational behaviour two years after the termination of the facilitation activity of the cluster manager. Practical implications – When designing cluster initiatives due care should be had to ensure that cluster managers adequately support clustered firms in the development of the knowledge network, throughout the whole project life cycle. In this regard, our work suggests that the facilitation activity of cluster managers should be terminated only once cluster members have interiorized a networking attitude, in order for them to continue knowledge-transfer activities when the stimuli by cluster manager have ceased. The sharp interruption of the facilitation activity of the cluster manager is likely to nullify the beneficial effects of the cluster project.

Although there is substantial research on various elements of knowledge management in organizations, there is a gap in our understanding of how event organizations transfer knowledge. We address this gap, using qualitative interview data and show in our results that knowledge transfer processes can be categorized into three distinct phases: i) pre-event, ii) event-operations and iii) post-event. Event managers and staff mostly transfer explicit knowledge pre-event; yet, tacit knowledge is transferred during the event-operations. Tacit knowledge however, is rarely converted into explicit knowledge in the post-event phase, and organizational memory is largely underutilised. Practical implications are deduced, suggesting for event organizations, to adopt a more strategic approach to knowledge transfer. We suggest that event management then operates more effectively in this fast-paced and knowledge intensive business environment, and better integrates heterogeneous event staff, including both paid employees and event volunteers.