Knowledge transfer pattern in collaborative product development

Abstract

This paper offers theoretical elaboration on, and demonstrates some empirical support for the patterns of knowledge transfer between buyers and suppliers in collaborative product development. The findings present that some knowledge transfer methods are very important in some phases of product development but not in others, and the different transfer methods can be used for different phases of product development. We conclude that knowledge transfer through electronic channels has an obvious influence, however communication like face-to-face is also very important. Of particular interest is the finding that one effective way for an organisation manages to transfer knowledge is to select an appropriate transfer method given a type of knowledge to be transferred in the right place at the right time.