The ability to transfer best practices internally is critical to a firtn's ability to build competitive advantage through the appropriation of rents from scarce internal knowledge. Just as a firm's distinctive competencies tnight be dificult for other firms to imitate, its best prczctices could be dfficult to imitate internnlly. Yet, little systematic attention has been pcrid to such internal stickiness. The author analyzes itlterrzal stickiness of knowledge transfer crnd tests the resulting model using canonical correlation analysis of a data set consisting of 271 observations of 122 best-practice transfers in eight companies. Contrary to corzverztiorzrzl wisdom that blames primarily motivational factors, the study findings show the major barriers to internal knowledge transfer to be knowledge-related factors such as the recipient's lack oj absorptive capacity, causal anzbiguity, and an arciuous relationship between the source and the recipient. The identification and transfer of best practices cally are hindered less by confidentiality and legal is emerging as one of the most important and obstacles than external transfers, they could be widespread practical management issues of the faster and initially less complicated, all other latter half of the 1990s. Armed with meaningful, things being equal. For those reasons, in an era detailed performance data, firms that use fact- when continuous organizational learning and based management methods such as TQM, bench- relentless performance improvement are needed to marking, and process reengineering can regularly remain competitive, companies must increasingly compare the performance of their units along resort to the internal transfer of capabilitie~.~ operational dimensions. Sparse but unequivocal Yet, experience shows that transferring capaevidence suggests that such comparisons often bilities within a firm is far from easy. General reveal surprising performance differences between Motors had great difficulty in transferring manuunits, indicating a need to improve knowledge facturing practices between divisions (Kerwin and utilization within the firm (e.g., Chew, Bresnahan, Woodruff, 1992: 74) and IBM had limited suc

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/smj.4250171105

Exploring internal stickiness: Impediments to the transfer of best practice within the firm

Project Success: A Multidimensional Strategic Concept

Transferring R&D Knowledge : the Key Factors Affecting Knowledge Transfer Success

Our views on project success have changed over the years from definitions that were limited to the implementation phase of the project life cycle to definitions that reflect an appreciation of succ...

/pdf/a-retrospective-look-at-our-evolving-understanding-of-2awbnxdef1.pdf

A Retrospective look at our Evolving Understanding of Project Success

Framing of project critical success factors by a systems model

A study was conducted of 97 projects identified as failures by the projects' managers or parent organizations. Using the project implementation profile, a set of managerially controllable factors is identified as associated with project failure. The factors differed according to three contingency variables: the precise way in which failure was defined; the type of project, and the stage of the project in its life cycle. Implications for project management and for future research on failed projects are discussed. The results demonstrated empirical justification for a multidimensional construct of project failure, encompassing both internal efficiency and external effectiveness aspects. The fact that the critical factors associated with failure depended on the way in which failure is defined suggests that it is necessary to know considerably more about how project managers define failure (and success) and, indeed how the parent organization makes judgments on the matter. >

The causes of project failure

Firms can obtain computer-assisted design (CAD) capability through the use of engineering consultants, in-house development of the technology, or some combination of internal staff and external consultants. Four realistic strategies with different degrees of external consultant involvement which firms can utilize to attain CAD technology are identified. Through the cooperation of two nationally recognized CAD engineering consulting firms, six projects completed for client firms within the durable parts/durable good (DP/DG) industries were studied. Performance improvement estimates for successive similar projects were obtained for each strategy from the consulting firm personnel and from the client firm personnel assigned to the original projects. Mathematical descriptions of these perceived performance improvement curves (PPIC) were established and the rates of performance improvement calculated. These were examined to determine if the performance improvement changed depending upon: 1) the strategy selected to obtain the CAD technology and 2) who (consulting or client firm personnel) provided the data. The factors which the client firm and the consulting firm personnel felt would be significant in influencing the performance improvement are reported and compared. Implications from the findings are discussed and areas for future research are proposed.

Strategies and performance improvement for computer-assisted design

The development and implementation of a service value measurement model for a system of social service agencies is discussed. The system, the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland, is a voluntary association of sixteen human service agencies. Design and workings of the project team, analysis and structuring of the organizational system, and overall goals of the research are first presented. The measurement model itself is then delineated. Essentially, the model is a device for assembling and synthesizing information on system throughput, priorities, and indicators of “quality” of service. Finally, the information system that supports the model is examined and other issues relating to implementation are discussed.

A Social Service Measurement Model

The purpose of this paper is to determine the nature of actual research project costs, their probability distributions, and corresponding parameter values so that long-range budget forecasts and variances can be provided. The distribution and parameters of the research project costs for 1963 through 1967 have been developed and are discussed. A description of the present Army budgeting system is presented. The budget forecasting problem is defined and a mathematical model is presented.1 The essential elements of the model are described in terms of parameters and coefficients, which are obtained from the 1963 through 1967 budget data. Four variations of the basic model are developed and compared. This paper contains a list of computer program statements specifically designed 1) to derive the necessary parameters from historical data, and 2) to forecast these parameters for each of five years into the future. The program, its operation, and features are discussed with sample outputs provided for illustration purposes.

Samuel J. Mantel

Papers

The causes of project failure

Strategies and performance improvement for computer-assisted design

A Social Service Measurement Model

Research project cost distributions and budget forecasting

A new approach to the evaluation of process innovations