Knowledge adoption practices among ASQ members: An assessment of culture, infrastructure, and personnel

Knowledge adoption for best practice transfer has become increasingly important to the success of current national and international organizations. Organizations that embrace the transferrance of knowledge realize improved efficiency and effectiveness in business processes that allow it to remain relevant in today's changing marketplace. The purpose of this study was to assess culture, infrastructure, and personnel as influencers in the successful adoption of new and existing knowledge within an organization. The target of the research was the American Society of Quality (ASQ) certification holders that orginate from diverse professional background and industries. There were three teams of core authors that influenced the research. Argote, McEvily, and Reagans theorized culture, organizational infrastructure, and knowledgeable personnel reduced anxiety associated with knowledge received from unknown sources. Berta and Baker postulated knowledge adoption is passed on the perceived usefulness of the new information. He, Fang, and Wei theorized cultural dynamics between individuals/organizations is a central fixture in the overall usefulness in both traditional and nontraditional communications. Using the historical research as a basis, a sample of 274 ASQ certification holders was surveyed. The research participants completed the Organizational Practices Transfer Study created in 2002 by Lucas. Findings from the research included the following: (a) there is no or a negative statistically significant relationship between knowledge adoption and culture, (b) there is a positive statistically significant relationship between infrastructure and knowledge adoption, and (c) there is no or a negative statistically significant relationship between personnel and knowledge adoption for ASQ certification holders.