An Evolutionary Process of Technological Knowledge Transfer between High and Low Tenures – A Multiple Case Study of Thai Construction Firms

Abstract

Knowledge is conceived as practice-based (formed through doing); social (generated from the interactions among organizational members and the context surrounding these people); strategic (generated through directed actions and shared goals) and comprising the identity of an organization. It focuses on cross-generational technological knowledge transfer from high tenure to low tenure employees of four Thai construction company cases. It was found that knowledge transmit is a routine that can be initiated by any of three actors (high tenure, low tenure and management member) but limited by an organizational barrier, social factor and personal mind-set. Knowledge transmission is also viewed as a stand-alone process which can be blended into knowledge co-creation and transformation that leverage the evolution of organizational knowledge. When more than two actors come together via semi-formal structure, it involves actors play multiple roles of a giver, a sharer, a listener to thinker and a problem solver. Moreover, the organizational outcome, eliminating path dependence, and increasing management commitment can lead to the success of knowledge co-creation and evolution, which is a result when management, high tenures and low tenures work together as team-based formalize to create, practice, adjust and embed knowledge into the working process. In addition, opening culture, flat structure and democratic leadership bring about knowledge transformation. These knowledge transmit, knowledge co-creation and knowledge transformation together with vision, policy, structure, strategy and culture lead to the evolution of knowledge.