Purpose Inter-organizational knowledge transfer (IOKT) is important especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Organizations need external knowledge to improve learning capabilities and their own competitiveness. SMEs are important for every nation’s economy. IOKT can enable SMEs’ learning and innovation and consequently its contribution to the national economy. This study aims to examine the factors that influence the IOKT process in Omani SMEs. Design/methodology/approach This study uses qualitative methodology. Participants were ten Omani SMEs from the information and communications technology sector, a knowledge-intensive sector. The study is based on face-to-face semi-structured interviews and content analysis. Findings The results confirmed that inter-organizational knowledge is considered to be important to SMEs. This research also showed that IOKT is affected by many factors related to the donor organization, recipient organization, nature of the knowledge and inter-organizational dynamics. The core factor to IOKT in SMEs is risk and trust. Originality/value Literature shows that there is an emphasis on the importance of studying knowledge management in SMEs; however, there is little work that has been done. Such study is even more important for Omani SMEs to improve their learning, innovation and contribution to a national diversified economy. This study provides valuable insights to establish an effective foundation for IOKT in Omani SMEs.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are today considered a driving force in several nations' economies. Inter-organizational knowledge transfer (IOKT) enables organizations including SMEs to improve operational and strategic performance. To enhance SMEs' competitive advantages, they need external knowledge to enrich learning capabilities. This study uses qualitative methodology to examine the values that can be generated from the IOKT process in SMEs. Participants were 10 Omani SMEs from the ICT sector, a knowledge-intensive sector. Based on face-to-face, semi-structured interviews, the results confirmed that inter-organizational knowledge transfer is considered important to SMEs. Results indicated that learning benefits are gained from informal IOKT activities at those SMEs, but they do not yet show a strong impact on the innovation performance of organizations. Thus, this study provides valuable insights for researchers and practitioners interested in the SME domain to use as a basis for their investigations.

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