Knowledge Management In Regional Networks: Empirical Results From The Green Building Cluster Of Lower Austria

In this paper, I develop a knowledge-based view on the organization of knowledge transfer in clusters, by exploring the Green Building Cluster of Lower Austria. Starting with the information richness theory, I argue that tacitness of the partnersí knowledge determines the information richness of the knowledge transfer mechanisms in clusters. The following hypotheses are examined: (a) If the cluster partnersí knowledge is characterized by a low degree of tacitness, knowledge transfer mechanisms with a lower degree of information richness (e.g. email, intranet, documents, newsgroups) are used; (b) if the cluster partnersí knowledge is characterized by a high degree of tacitness, knowledge transfer mechanisms with a higher degree of information richness (e.g. seminars, workshops, formal meetings) are used. I test these hypotheses by using data from the Green Building Cluster of Lower Austria. Using complexity, teachability and codifiability as measures for tacitness of the cluster partnersí knowledge, the empirical results from Green Building Cluster in Austria partly support these hypotheses. The results indicate that an increase in teachable knowledge results in the use of more knowledge transfer mechanisms with a lower degree of information richness, and an increase in complex, but articulable knowledge results in the use of more knowledge transfer mechanisms with a higher degree of information richness. In addition, I show that trust positively influences the use of all modes of knowledge transfer. The paper is organized as follows: After the Introduction in Section 1, Section 2 reviews the relevant literature related to knowledge transfer in networks. In Section 3, I develop the knowledge-based view of knowledge transfer mechanisms and derive testable hypotheses. Finally, in Section 4 I test these hypotheses using data from the Green Building Cluster of Lower Austria.