Harnessing intellectual capital: A study of organizational knowledge transfer

This study, using mixed methods, explores the relationships among types of knowledge transfer channels and the transfer of various forms/components of intellectual capital by individuals within an organization. Using a grounded theory approach and multiple linear regression, this study investigated operational descriptions of intellectual capital types and the knowledge transfer channels used to effectively transfer them, as well as relationships among them in the specific setting of a Department of Defense field activity.; Twenty-three individuals from across the organization participated in qualitative study interviews and one-hundred and thirteen individuals from the same organization completed a self-administered web-based survey for the quantitative study. Prior to this study, most knowledge transfer and intellectual capital research has been theoretical in nature, and was found to fall short of explaining the relationships between the two bodies of knowledge. This study has implications for both theory and practice, as it provides a beginning to understand the relationships among knowledge transfer mechanisms and intellectual capital types, thereby extending the two bodies of knowledge and establishing a connection between them.; Regression analyses were used to examine the hypotheses advanced from the qualitative findings. The analyses suggest that within the Federal organization the effectiveness of a knowledge transfer channel used to exchange intellectual capital between individuals within the organization is dependent on the type of intellectual capital being transferred. The analyses also suggest that the perceived effectiveness of knowledge transfer mechanisms for exchanging intellectual capital is influenced by demographic and organizational factors, among others, signaling that solutions for addressing intellectual capital transfer within an organization should consider the diversity of the variables influencing the intellectual capital transfer process.; This research is essentially a building block for both theory and practice. Future researchers are provided with the basis for the relationship in a practical setting. Practitioners are provided with operationalized descriptions of intellectual capital types and the knowledge transfer channels used to effectively transfer them.