Knowledge Sharing in International Manufacturing Organisations
Aims
- gain a better understanding of the dynamics of knowledge transfer and sharing in organisations
- develop practical guidelines on how to transfer knowledge within various plants in organisation
Background
Competition in the late 1990s global market is growing more intense. Organisations in many industries are increasingly knowledge intensive. This new focus on knowledge as the most important resource is causing changes in management practices and organisation structure. Knowledge management is concerned with how knowledge is captured, stored and disseminated in organisations. A deeper analysis is required to understand and provide guidelines on issues of knowledge management.
In an international manufacturing environment where knowledge is created and disappears dynamically, the ability to capture and share knowledge is becoming more critical. The cost of knowledge creation in new product and process developments, human resources, lost opportunities and market share, is escalating.
The capability of turning an individual's tacit knowledge into explicit organisational knowledge helps Japanese companies to win major market share. Few realise, however, that the new knowledge created is not that new and may have existed somewhere in the organisation before.
As organisations grow larger and become more global, the danger of re-inventing the wheel increases due to poor communication and lack of understanding between divisions. This could be because of the inherent difference in culture and geographical distance that separate divisions of a modern multinational corporation. Similarly, down-sizing, restructuring, outsourcing, acquisition and mergers have accelerated the loss of knowledge in many organisations as employees are repositioned or laid-off.
Research approach
Stage I: Literature review and preliminary framework development
Stage II: Exploratory case study to identify and understand existing practices
Stage III: Framework and tools development
Stage IV:Testing and application of framework and tools in collaborating companies
Preliminary framework
Outcomes
- understanding of knowledge transfer and sharing in organisations
- a framework for knowledge transfer in multi-national companies
- practical guidelines to facilitate the transferring and sharing of knowledge
Researcher
Kah-Hin Chai
