A holistic view of knowledge management strategy

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this research is to seek to address the way in which knowledge is being transmitted among the members of a large corporation and suggests a realistic strategy that promises to be most appropriate for effective knowledge transfer in the new knowledge economy. Design/methodology/approach The research involves an in‐depth case study of knowledge transfer strategies used in a UK‐based group within a high‐tech global corporation. which was purposively selected for data collection. A semi‐structured instrument was developed based on the review of the knowledge management literature. The data analysis procedure within the case study employed in this research was based on the approach proposed by Miles and Huberman. Findings Drawing on an empirical work in a large high‐tech corporation, this paper suggests a hybrid strategy which recognises the interplay between the soft and hard mechanisms, and falls somewhere between the rather divergent mechanisms. Research limitations/implications Since the paper is based on a single research setting the findings have potential limitations in terms of generalisability and transferability. Practical implications To date it seems that the soft and hard mechanisms are being employed for knowledge transfer. There is considerable variation in the researchers' views about the role of the two approaches to knowledge transfer in an organisation. Originality/value The proposed hybrid approach to knowledge transfer provides powerful arguments for a more holistic view in terms of knowledge transfer which is crucial for the succesful implementation of knowledge management.