Internationalization, Tacit Knowledge and the Top Management Teams of MNCs

Athanassiou, Nicholas; Nigh, Douglas

doi:10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490917

Cited by 182 publications

(145 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

132

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Drawing on several studies such as (Athanassiou & Nigh, 2000;Cantwell & Santangelo, 2000;Donaldson, 2001), Busch (2008) argues that the studies on tacit knowledge, especially within the domain of knowledge management tends to only focus at the macro-organisational level. Also although there is a general agreement that tacit knowledge is hard to be acquired and transferred, according to Busch (2008) the majority of research on tacit knowledge is focused on attempts on converting it into explicit knowledge.…”

Section: Topic Justificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Working with tacit knowledge: An empirical investigation in glass blowing tradition in Sweden

Kurti¹

2012

PsycEXTRA Dataset

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tacit knowledge is argued to be a crucial resource to organizations' competitive advantage. The majority of research on tacit knowledge is oriented towards the conversion of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge, thus assuming that all knowledge can be made explicit and captured in formal ways. These approaches overlook the intangible nature of tacit knowledge by overestimating that explicit knowledge. This study takes a human centered approach with the aim to examine the factors that are necessary for an environment that works with tacit knowledge. A theoretical framework derived from the literature review and served as guidance for the data collection and analysis. Hermeneutics is the underlying philosophy that guides this study. The study is qualitative study conducted in the glass blowing in Sweden, respectively in two sites Pukeberg and Transjö Hytta. Participants of the study were masters and apprentices from these two settings. Data collection methods included literature studies, documents, participant observation, informal interviews and semi-structured interviews.Results from the analysis show the significance of several social factors that need to be present in an environment that involves tacit knowledge. These factors appeared to be related to each other. Data analysis indicated that not all factors are equally important, thus they have been classified into primary and secondary factors. III Executive summaryIn the knowledge-driven society, tacit knowledge is argued to have become the primary resource for sustainable competitive advantage for organizations. The intangible nature that characterizes tacit knowledge is argued to provide organizations with unique market positions. Despite its importance, tacit knowledge has often been an ambiguous notion and often attributed as the opposite of the explicit knowledge. The majority of approaches focus towards the codification of tacit knowledge and ways of storing it into different Information Technology systems. These approaches treat knowledge as an object that can be detached from the humans, stored, transferred and shared.This study has taken a human centred approach aiming to identify the necessary factors that enable effective working with tacit knowledge. The study is conducted in the glass blowing tradition in Sweden, respectively in two glass blowing facilities. The rationale on focusing the study in this tradition relies on the fact that this tradition has preserved the traditional master/apprentice relation. Data is collected from both settings through literature studies, documents, participant observations, informal interviews and semi-structured interviews.Results from the data analysis show the significance of several social factors that need to be present in an environment that involves tacit knowledge. These factors appeared to be related to each other, some contributing to the others. Data analysis indicated that not all factors are equally important. Thus they have been classified into primary and secondary factors. Data collect...

show abstract

Section: Topic Justificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Working with tacit knowledge: An empirical investigation in glass blowing tradition in Sweden

Kurti¹

2012

PsycEXTRA Dataset

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This knowledge can be acquired through personal experience of specifi c international markets (Athanassiou & Nigh, 2000). Knowledge of foreign markets developed through experience is important to overcoming barriers associated with differences in language, culture, business practices, and legislation (Morosini & Shane, 1998).…”

Section: International Business Skillsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Resources resulting from international experience lead to specifi c knowledge that is diffi cult to imitate; once competitors have come to understand the knowledge-based resources of a fi rm, that same fi rm has already further developed and refi ned this knowledge and has begun applying it differently (Athanassiou & Nigh, 2000). Bloodgood et al (1996) found only partial support for the infl uence of international business skills (international experience, international schooling) on internationalization.…”

Section: International Business Skillsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The entrepreneur's exposure to foreign cultures through living, working, or traveling abroad should increase their international orientation to foreign cultures and countries. The acquisition of fi rst-hand experiences through a personal presence in foreign markets where a company operates or is seeking to operate is the primary means by which managers acquire and maintain tacit knowledge of the fi rm's international activities (Athanassiou & Nigh, 2000). Foreign markets can be perceived as having particular distinguishing attributes.…”

Section: International Orientationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Human capital and SME internationalization: a structural equation modeling study

et al. 2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study uses a structural equation modeling technique to predict the internationalization of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) from the entrepreneur's human capital (dimensions: international business skills, international orientation, environmental perception, and management know‐how). While international orientation and environmental risk perception predicted internationalization, international business skills and management know‐how did not. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed. Copyright © 2007 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

“…When the firm's management team, in particular the entrepreneurial manager, possess past experience of international markets or the process of internationalization, those experiences will shape a specific knowledge base and expectancy of the nature and process of internationalization (Arthanassiou & Nigh, 2000). The international development of firms is often characterized as path dependent based on the development of the manager's experiences and knowledge as well as the resources available to them (Collis, 1991).…”

Section: Theories On the Internationalization Of Firms: Internal Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Entrepreneurial decision-making in internationalization: Propositions from mid-size firms

Perks

Hughes

2008

International Business Review

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Internationalization, Tacit Knowledge and the Top Management Teams of MNCs

Cited by 182 publications

References 31 publications

Working with tacit knowledge: An empirical investigation in glass blowing tradition in Sweden

Working with tacit knowledge: An empirical investigation in glass blowing tradition in Sweden

Human capital and SME internationalization: a structural equation modeling study

Entrepreneurial decision-making in internationalization: Propositions from mid-size firms

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About