Vol: 5, Issue: 3 2015

Page: 01-07

Knowledge Transfer: A Basis for Competitive Advantage in Organizations

Anoop Mohan, Dr. Ranjith Kumar S

In organizational theory, knowledge transfer is the practical problem of transferring knowledge from one part of the organization to another. Like knowledge management, knowledge transfer seeks to organize, create, capture or distribute knowledge and ensure its availability for future users. Knowledge is of limited value if it is not shared and transferred throughout the organization. Organizations that are able to transfer knowledge effectively from one unit to another are more productive and more likely to survive than those that are less adept at knowledge transfer. Although organizations are able to realize remarkable increases in performance through knowledge transfer, successful knowledge transfer is difficult to achieve. When knowledge is transferred, it becomes cumulative and embedded within organization's process, products and services, which eventually contribute to increase organization's competitiveness and customer value. Thus, externalizing knowledge and facilitate its availability throughout a firm for better utilization appears very important in enhancing a firm's competitiveness. The concept of knowledge transfer is therefore not regarded merely as a link between existing Knowledge and its application but encloses constitutively the generation of knowledge and its absorption by knowledge taker.