TEchNOLOGy TRaNSFER MODEL - Javna agencija

KNOWLEDGE FOR BUSINESS IN BORDER REGIONS
6.6 Knowledge transfer and knowledge management
The point in time when the knowledge is transferred successfully does not mark the end of the knowledge transfer process. It is
hence the beginning of the knowledge integration within the firm. In order to make sure that the external knowledge is going to be
used, integrated learning processes and knowledge management systems seem to be essential.
But first, the following table provides an overview concerning the different types of knowledge and how they could be characterized,
whereby the so called tacit or implicit knowledge is particularly interesting. In most of the cases the transfer of tacit knowledge
is highly important, but at the same time transferring and sharing tacit knowledge is complex and difficult. In contrast to explicit
knowledge, which can be easily codified and written down, tacit knowledge includes, for example, hard-to-communicate skills, specific
know-how and experiences:
Figure 18: Characterization of knowledge types
Knowledge acquisition may occur through a number of mechanisms, but finally learning requires the interpretation and embedding
of that knowledge in organizational systems. Learning primarily takes place within the social relationships in which a person or a
group is engaged, whereas learning processes could look like the following figure:
Figure 19: Learning process
In organizations we know different levels of learning, differentiating between: the individual level, the group level, the organizational
level and the intra-organizational type of learning. The aim of all these processes is to create organizational knowledge which
is the basis for the company’s survival and the development of competitive advantages. Essentially organizational knowledge results
from the particular history of internal and external interactions and adaption undergone by the organization. It represents the point
that has been reached by the organization’s learning processes and is rare and unique because it is path-dependent, which means
that each and every organization has its own experiences, processes, structures, employees etc. leading to the creation of organizational
knowledge and, therefore, there could never be a second organization holding exactly the same knowledge. Because of its
supra-individual character and because it is made up of co-specialized capabilities it is hard to appropriate and difficult to imitate by
third parties. Above all, organizational knowledge is embedded in a complex network of formal and informal inter-personal relationships
and in a shared and often unspoken system of norms and beliefs.
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