Journal
JOURNAL OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Volume 14, Issue 3, Pages 410-427Publisher
EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.1108/13673271011050139
Keywords
Knowledge management; Tacit knowledge; Knowledge transfer; Oil industry; Brazil
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Purpose - This paper aims to identify the pertinent factors for tacit knowledge transfer within a major state-owned Brazilian oil company - Petrobras. Design/methodology/approach - The research analyses the literature concerning tacit knowledge transfer within organisations and, using a quantitative approach based on exploratory factorial analysis, seeks to collect facts in order to identify relevant factors for tacit knowledge transfer within the organisation in question. Findings - It is seen that idiosyncratic factors, the knowledge management strategy adopted by the company and its organisational structure are relevant elements for the success of tacit knowledge transfer within the organisation. Research limitations/implications - The study was conducted just in the Sales and Marketing division of Petrobras. Therefore, its external validity cannot be tested and any attempt to make a statistical generalisation would be flawed. Another limitation is related to the acuity of perception of the employees involved in relation to tacit knowledge transfer These limitations are related to the possibility of many varied interpretations of reality given by the respondents, in their attempt - not necessarily conscious to paint a good picture of the company to limitations of information available while they answer the questionnaire, to the epistemological model of the respondent, and to the very fact that they work in a state-owned, rather than in a public oil company Originality/value - Three propositions arising from the results obtained are consolidated and presented in order that they may be tested in a future explanatory study.
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