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On and Off the Beaten Path: How Individuals Broker Knowledge Through Formal and Informal Networks
Rick Aalbers University of Groningen - SOM Research School; Deloitte Consulting W. Dolfsma University of Groningen School of Economics and Business O. Koppius Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University; Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM) - Joint Research Institute of Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) and Erasmus School of Economics (ESE), EUR 31 2004, 08 ERIM Report Series Reference No. ERS-2004-066-LIS/ORG Abstract: Although informal networks are often emphasized as facilitating knowledge transfer, we use network data obtained from a multi-unit high-tech firm to show that the formal network also significantly contributes to inter-unit knowledge transfer. Individuals centrally placed in a network are, in addition, more involved in knowledge transfer, especially, the evidence suggests, in the case of the formal network. Focusing on the brokerage roles that individual fulfill, we find that knowledge transfer between units is more likely to occur through externally oriented brokers than internally oriented brokers in the formal network, but not in the informal network. Overall, the results show that there is more than one path to transfer knowledge.
Keywords: knowledge transfer, inter-unit knowledge transfer, communication networks, centrality, brokerage roles JEL Classifications: M, M10, O32, L2, D29 Working Paper SeriesDate posted: September 29, 2004 ; Last revised: January 07, 2010Suggested CitationContact Information
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