Posted by Denham on March 14, 2000 at 13:53:08:

Nancy Dixon's new book "Common Knowledge, How companiesthrive by sharing what they know" Harvard Business School Press 2000 gives 5 knowledge transfer methods that result from the interaction between the intended receiver (similarity of task and context), the nature of the task (how routine & frequent) and the type of knowledge (explicit vs. tacit) being transfered.

Serial transfer:
Same team, same task, different settings. After action reviews, learning histories and set meetings, open diaglog, local facilitation.

Near transfer:
Explicit knowledge of frequent & routine tasks moved across organizational boundaries. Electronic dissemination, supplemented by personal interaction, 'push', best practices are shared where context is not an issue.

Far transfer:
Tacit knowledge is moved by coaching and consulting, same task different context, reciprocal exchange, peers travel to assist.

Strategic transfer:
Infrequent and non-routine, complex system, knowledge is gathered by specialists, multiple 'voices' are synthesized mostly in realtime.

Expert transfer:
Explicit knowledge is pulled from forums, summarized and recorded in terms of solutions, rules and distinctions. Context is the same but the task differs, e.g. technical questions to 2nd level helpdesks.

Somehow the whole notion of knowledge transfer does not sit too well with me, feels too much like an object is being exchanged rather than an individual or group learning experience!

Are we starting to see greater clarity and the emergence of some KM theory here? I'm thinking of Dixon's transfer types, KM models from Don, Bo Newman and others, knowledge validation practices from KMCI, ontologies and classifications of tool sets, KM strategy opitions.....

What do you think?

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Follow Ups:

• Re: Knowledge transfer Mohamad Haitan 21:35:15 03/21/00 (0)
• Re: Knowledge transfer- Review of Common Knowledge Bo Newman 22:05:58 03/20/00 (1)
  • Another view of Common Knowledge Denham 00:03:51 03/21/00 (0)
• Re: Knowledge transfer Mahei 18:29:22 03/16/00 (2)
  • Transfer vs. sharing Denham 21:56:40 03/18/00 (1)
    • Re: Transfer vs. sharing Jack Vinson 11:46:25 03/21/00 (0)

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