Conclusion, Limitations and Implications

This study has investigated knowledge transfers between dispersed MNC units. The aim was to shed more light on the effectiveness of these transfers. As shown in the literature review, the importance of knowledge management in the MNC is indisputable and management of dispersed knowledge is not only quite important but critically affects organizational design as well as the MNC’s strategic configuration. Many authors have recently addressed the topic of knowledge management in various areas, but only a few have systematically investigated intra-MNC knowledge transfers. Even though the works cited in the ‘state-of-the-art’ review add much to our knowledge, it was also shown that research is largely fragmented and takes different perspectives. Transfer is mostly seen as beneficial per se and the effectiveness of cost-intensive intra-MNC knowledge transfers is hardly ever questioned. In an attempt to combine some of these perspectives while concentrating on the effectiveness of knowledge transfer, a comprehensive model of knowledge transfer within MNCs was developed. It was argued that effective knowledge transfer is contingent on the development of several knowledge transfer capabilities which, in turn, are developed in response to the unit’s strategic position in the network and the unit’s value of knowledge stock. Moreover, two contingency factors, organizational and cultural distance, were seen as decisive moderators to effective transfer.