ABSTRACT
The sharing and application of knowledge have been widely identified as key sources of sustained competitive advantage. Yet, in spite of recent advances in our understanding of how to manage knowledge (Dixon, 2000; Szulanski, 2003), its capture and transfer remain acute problems for project-based firms and organizations (DeFillippi and Arthur, 1998; Gann and Salter, 2000; Prencipe and Tell, 2001; Keegan and Turner, 2002). This is particularly so in the context of incentives to share or hoard knowledge (Gupta and Govindarajan, 2000), an area on which this chapter focuses. So, drawing on theory from several sources and empirical research from four different industrial settings, this chapter presents an analytical framework represented by a matrix that suggests determinants of knowledge transfer behaviour within project-based firms. All these organizations operate dissimilar and discontinuous projects, and thus illustrate a particularly challenging knowledge transfer environment. The authors argue that the tendency to share or hoard knowledge depends on organizational incentives and motivational characteristics, which are in turn shaped by industrial and organizational circumstances. It is concluded that an understanding of these underlying characteristics and circumstances will facilitate better utilization of explicit knowledge management (KM) tools such as intranets, expert systems and ‘lessons learned’ reporting.
