Towards a consolidated model of knowledge transfer between product development projects

Abstract

Knowledge Transfer (KT) between New Product Development (NPD) projects is a process that comprises several stages. In the literature, many works have proposed KT stages, but there is heterogeneity in the nomenclature used in these works and, also, in the organization of the proposed KT stages. In addition, many research fields have studied the KT process, resulting on different interpretation or approaches of this process. Therefore, this study presents a comparison of nine KT models proposed by authors of different research fields that were organized in two main approaches: the emergent approach (which considers the team dynamic and team integration) and the engineering approach (which considers the organization and management of knowledge). The comparison is based on a content analysis of the proposed models. As a result, it is proposed a new model for KT between NPD projects. This model presents a reorganization of the ideas discussed in the literature and an integration of the different existing models, obtaining a more comprehensive and consistent KT model. This study also highlights the contributions and differences between the main KT research fields.

Knowledge transfer; New product development; Project teams; Model