Journal of Knowledge Management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: to understand how recent developments in systems thinking and social construction can influence understanding of knowledge transfer (KT); and to propose a new systems-based knowledge transfer model.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a review of the literature on knowledge transfer, systems thinking and social construction leads to the proposal of a new KT paradigm.

Findings – The Dynamic Knowledge Transfer Capacity model (DKTC) found in this paper identifies the components required for social systems to generate, disseminate and use new knowledge to meet their needs. The model includes pre-existing conditions, (need and prior knowledge) and four categories of capacities (generative, disseminative, absorptive and adaptive/responsive) that social systems must possess for KT to take place.

Research limitations/implications – The paper shows that the DKTC model is particularly well suited to analyzing complex systems with multiple stakeholders as opposed to small-scale knowledge transfer systems. Empirical analysis in complex systems environments will help verify, enrich and generalize the model.

Practical implications – The paper sees that in an increasingly knowledge-based economy, the ability to base decisions on the latest knowledge is vital for the success of organizations. The capacity for effective and sustained exchange between a system's stakeholders (researchers, government, practitioners, etc.); exchanges characterized by significant interactions reflected within the DKTC model, results in the appropriate use of the most recent discoveries in the decision making process.

Originality/value – The paper proposes a new knowledge transfer paradigm that views knowledge as a systemic, socially constructed, context-specific representation of reality. The proposed knowledge transfer model is in sharp contrast to past attempts, focusing attention on the capacities that must be present in organizations and social systems as a precondition for knowledge transfer to occur.