Inter- and Intra-organizational knowledge transfer: a meta analytic review and assessment of its antecedents and consequences

TLDR: In this paper, the authors use meta-analytic techniques to examine how knowledge, organization and network level antecedents differentially impact organizational knowledge transfer, and demonstrate how the intra-and inter-organizational context, the directionality of knowledge transfers, and measurement characteristics moderate the relationships studied.

Abstract: Research on organizational knowledge transfer is burgeoning, and yet our understanding of its antecedents and consequences remains rather unclear. Although conceptual and qualitative reviews of the organizational knowledge transfer literature have emerged, no study has attempted to summarize previous quantitative empirical findings. As a first step towards that goal, we use meta-analytic techniques to examine how knowledge, organization and network level antecedents differentially impact organizational knowledge transfer. Additionally, we consolidate research on the relationship between knowledge transfer and its consequences. We also demonstrate how the intra- and inter-organizational context, the directionality of knowledge transfers, and measurement characteristics moderate the relationships studied. By aggregating and consolidating existing research, our study not only reveals new insights into the levers and outcomes of organizational knowledge transfer, but also provides meaningful directions for future research.