Number

No.2022-01

Month of Issue

May 2022

Title

Knowledge transfer for sustainable growth: The role of boundary spanning managers

Author(s)

Yoshimi Igawa

Affiliation(s)

Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University

Keywords

Knowledge transfer, supplier community, boundary spanning managers, sustainability, networks

Abstract

This study explores the factors that sustain synergistic knowledge transfer in the supplier consortium. In this study, the supplier consortium is defined as the supplier community where multiple companies share and utilise knowledge based on the Community of Practice theory. Synergistic effects occur when the knowledge formed in the community is transferred to participating companies and changes over time. The study pays particular attention to the horizontal boundary changes in the network brought about by boundary spanning managers and their actions that bring the knowledge formed by the community to their company. It is proposed that the work of boundary-spanning managers has a considerable influence on the sustainable development potential of synergistic effects.