Abstract:
BACKGROUND : The complex, unique and temporary nature of projects makes project-to-project
knowledge transfer challenging and has attracted attention from both practitioners and
academic scholars. This challenging nature of project-to-project knowledge transfer led to the
proliferation of a host of tools and instruments (so-called knowledge transfer mechanisms) in
which little structure can be discovered making selection by (project) managers a difficult task.
AIM : This article aims to deal with this unstructured proliferation of knowledge transfer
mechanisms by empirically categorising these transfer mechanisms, thereby reducing the
number of mechanisms to groups that share a common characteristic.
SETTING : The study takes stock of the wide range of knowledge transfer mechanisms available
and analyses them in terms of specific characteristics (e.g. explicitness or reach).
METHODS : A multi-method approach is used in which a multi-level latent class analysis is
applied on data collected via an expert panel.
RESULTS : Five categories of transfer mechanisms could be empirically established where these
mechanisms showed common characteristics.
CONCLUSION : The taxonomy developed will allow organisations and project managers to more
efficiently select appropriate transfer mechanisms for use in project-to-project knowledge
transfer.
