Knowledge transfer within an organization may be thought of as the process by which an organization makes available knowledge about routines to its members, and is a common phenomenon that can be an effective way for organizations to extend knowledge bases and leverage unique skills in a relatively cost-effective manner. With the increasing resource-based focus in strategy research, knowledge and ways to develop and leverage it have become key strategic issues (Barney, 1991; Peteraf, 1993). | Knowledge and Process Management Volume 10 Number 2 pp 115–126 (2003) Published online in Wiley InterScience (). DOI: & Case Study Organization-internal Transfer of Knowledge and the Role of Motivation: A Qualitative Case Study Thomas Kalling* Institute of Economic Research, Lund University, Sweden This paper reports a case study of a knowledge transfer programme in a manufacturing MNC, and suggests that firm-internal knowledge transfer programmes are exercises requiring a great deal of recipient motivation. In contrast to existing theory, which has a tendency to address the role of cognitive factors such as tacitness, causal ambiguity and absorptive capacity, this paper suggests that motivation needs to be in place first. In the studied case, differences in local per- ceptions of transfer ventures, aspiration and strategic ambitions, internal competition, the view on the nature of knowledge and local communication seem to explain success and failure in transfer ventures. If motivation is not in place ‘naturally’, it can be managed in different ways, including local and corporate management control routines as well as organization struc- ture. Consequently, we argue that knowledge transfer theory should not presume that organi- zational units are interested in the knowledge transferred, or that knowledge is always ‘good’. Knowledge is contextual, meaning it fits certain operations and strategies better, even in instances where intra-organizational units are homogeneous. Hence motivation is central to transfer success. Copyright # 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. INTRODUCTION describing success and failure of knowledge trans- fer. Although there are debates about the finer Knowledge transfer within an organization may be details of the roles of these factors, the factors that thought of as the process by which an organization are highlighted are relatively common from study makes available knowledge about routines to its to study. .
