Knowledge Transfer within Organizations: A Social Network Perspective

Knowledge is regarded as a key strategic resource for organizations. The proliferation of knowledge management systems reflects the importance of the creation, transfer, storage, retrieval, and use of knowledge within firms and across firm boundaries. A variety of conceptual models exist describing mechanisms through which knowledge is transferred between individuals within an organization. However, the synthesis of various conceptualizations of knowledge transfer remains undeveloped. The application of networking theories could be useful in describing how knowledge disseminates throughout an organization in accordance with technological diffusion and assimilation. Drawing upon extant literature, a network view of knowledge transfer and creation is presented. The proposed model portrays knowledge as complicated and multifaceted, containing both tacit and explicit elements, and describes how knowledge is created and transferred through the routines and directives shared between individuals within an organization.