Knowledge Transfer Within Business Incubator Knowledge Network

Business incubator is an organization which providing a series of administrative support and resource network to new ventures in order to promote their growth. Business incubator linking government agencies, universities or research institutions, professional service organizations and incubatees forms an inter-organizational knowledge network. Knowledge transfer frequently occurs in this network. Incubatees can narrow their knowledge gap and promote their growth by transferred knowledge from other actors within the network.This paper defines business incubator knowledge network. A conceptual model of business incubator knowledge network is put forward and the formal expression is given. The network is divided into two subnets. One is business incubator organizational knowledge network. The other is business incubator individual knowledge network. Parameters that describe structural feature of the two subnets are defined respectively. The paper argues that business incubator organizational knowledge network is a network that has high centrality with incubator as a centre node and business incubator individual knowledge network presents characteristics of small world network.Based on informal individual knowledge transfer theory, a model of knowledge transfer within business incubator individual knowledge network is established. Adopting matlab7.3software, effects of network characteristics on network knowledge transfer are explored using simulation experiment method. The results show that knowledge transfer achieves the best performance when the network formed small world network structure. The greater average degree of nodes, the better knowledge transfer performance. The higher knowlege transfer threshold, the better knowledge transfer performance. The more proportion of experts as well as more balanced distribution of experts on knowledge type, the better knowledge transfer performance. The stronger absorptive capacity of nodes, the better knowledge transfer performance. Meanwhile, effects of entrepreneurs’ego-centric network on its knowledge transfer are also explored. The results show that greater size, low density and high diversity ego-centric network can facilitate entrepreneurs’knowledge transfer.Based on organizational influence theory, the paper defines influence of a node on network knowledge transfer as its knowledge status in the network that can be measured by influence index of the node. The knowledge transfer activities within the network and their weights are identified. The method for measuring influences of nodes on network knowledge transfer are proposed. In order to explore the influences of nodes on subgroups, the network is divided into five non-overlapping subgroups that including knowledge coordination group, knowledge source group, start-up stage incubatee group, growing stage incubatee group and mature stage incubatee group. The method for calculating influence index of nodes on subgroups is given.This paper studies knowledge transfer dynamic behaviors within business incubator knowledge network using system dynamic theory. Based on analysis of influence factors on knowledge transfer within business incubator knowledge network, a system dynamic model of knowledge transfer within the network is established. Using Vensim simulation software platform and adopting theory test method, the effectiveness of the model is verified. The results indicate that the model is quite well able to depict the actual knowledge transfer dynamic behavior within the business incubator knowledge network. Besides this, the paper also explores control parameters for improving knowledge transfer behaviors within the network. The influences of the control parameters on knowledge transfer behaviors within the network is simulated respectively.Based on above results, the paper proposes strategies to promote knowledge transfer within business incubator knowledge network for government agency, business incubator and incubatee.