Beyond Boundary Spanners: The ‘Collective Bridge’ as an Efficient Inter-unit Structure for Transferring Collective Knowledge
نویسندگان
چکیده
This research introduces a framework for selecting efficient inter-unit structures in facilitating the transfer of knowledge with different levels of complexity. We argue that while boundary spanner structure is efficient for transferring discrete knowledge, it is inadequate for transferring collectively held complex knowledge. We propose that the transfer of such knowledge requires a more decentralized inter-unit structure––collective bridge, which is a set of direct inter-unit ties connecting the members of the source and the recipient unit, with the configuration of the interunit ties matching the complexity of knowledge to be transferred. We suggest that while a collective bridge is inefficient in transferring discrete knowledge relative to a boundary spanner structure, it is more efficient for transferring collective knowledge.
منابع مشابه
Knowledge Complexity , Information Overload , and the Performance of Inter - unit Knowledge Transfer Structures
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