Knowledge sharing, knowledge transfer and SMEs: evolution, antecedents, outcomes and directions

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to systematically synthesize the extant literature of knowledge sharing (KS) and knowledge transfer (KT) in the small and medium enterprise (SME) context and to contribute with predictions of emerging themes.Design/methodology/approachApplied is a systematic literature review using three bibliometric techniques: (1) textual analysis for keywords and abstracts to identify the research hotspots, (2) co-citation analysis of references to identify the evolution of KS and KT in SME and (3) bibliographic coupling analysis of documents to synthesize antecedents and outcomes.FindingsA conceptual map emerges from the review to reveal the antecedents of KS and KT at the individual, group and organizational levels. The analysis shows the strategic importance of KS and KT for the SME context. Specific findings include: (1) KS and KT are involved in enhancing SMEs strategic focus for human resources, including organizational learning, customer relations, creativity, higher profit and positive effects on operational processes and decision-making. (2) Innovation, trust and performance are identified as central human factors linked to KS and KT in SMEs. (3) Human resource (HR) management research could contribute to KS and KT in the SME domain by exploring KS- and KT-based practices, linking the emergence of innovation and innovative behaviors to these practices, leading to a better understanding of strategies that enable the long-term storage and retrieval of tacit and explicit knowledge as organizational memory in the SME context.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first to systematically review KS and KT in SMEs and propose a concept map. The research adds value to the growing literature of KS and KT and exposes the need for more specific activities to support SME managers, as well as HR managers, who need to facilitate KS and KT in SMEs.

Intellectual capital and innovation performance: the moderating role of big data analytics: evidence from the banking sector in Jordan

“…Documenting exploitation of past knowledge and exploration of new knowledge will help improve the organisation's performance (Li et al, 2018;Santoro and Usai, 2018). Knowledge-based view theory considers knowledge one of the most important strategic assets that organisations can possess; through it, they obtain innovation and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage (Anand et al, 2021;Kianto and Hong, 2009). Organisations' use of many sources to obtain new knowledge and incorporate it into their operations will improve their innovative capabilities (Gonz alez-S anchez et al, 2020) and innovation performance (Andreeva et al, 2021;Hanifah et al, 2021).…”

“…, 2018; Santoro and Usai, 2018). Knowledge-based view theory considers knowledge one of the most important strategic assets that organisations can possess; through it, they obtain innovation and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage (Anand et al. , 2021; Kianto and Hong, 2009).…”

Innovation capability and culture: How time-orientation shapes owner-managers’ perceptions

“…Future research might integrate employees' perspectives to obtain insights into perceptions of innovation and might consider owner-managers' openness to sharing innovation knowledge (e.g., Freel & Robson, 2017). Moreover, new research could explore how the owner-managers and employees develop innovative behaviours and these practices, as this is currently and area that remains rather unexplored for SMEs (Anand et al, 2021). Further, we highlight that customers are an important external innovation capability factor.…”

Team familiarity—Boon for routines, bane for innovation? A review and future research agenda

“…We applied a systematic review approach which is transparent and reproducible (Cerchione & Esposito, 2016;Aguinis et al, 2018;Anand et al, 2021;Dzhengiz & Niesten, 2020). A systematic review aims at comprehensively documenting, evaluating, and synthesizing all relevant research on a specific subject to identify the dominant viewpoints and gaps in the literature (e.g., Petticrew & Roberts, 2006).…”

“…To complement the VOSviewer bibliometric analysis, we undertook an in-depth qualitative review of the literature over the past decade. We individually coded the 42 selected articles using a qualitative theme-generating approach (i.e., Anand et al, 2021;Cerchione & Esposito, 2016). The authors met to discuss the findings to ensure consistency of coding.…”