TEMPLATES AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER.

In this paper, we explore the effect of preferential access to templates through a case study of three sequential practice transfers. The case is derived from an eight-year, in-depth field investigation of Rank Xerox. The naturally occurring, repeated treatment quasi-experimental design arises from a set of three sequential best practice transfers. The early 1990s had been a time of substantial change at Rank Xerox. Under substantial pressure from Xerox U.S. to increase financial performance, the CEO at Rank Xerox formed a series of expert teams. The third such team, Team C, had the goal of increasing incremental revenues by identifying, documenting, and transferring sales and marketing best practices. While the first initiative, referred to as Wave I proved successful the launch of the second wave, referred to as Wave II, stalled. The third initiative, referred to internally as the Telesales phase, was again successful. The Rank Xerox example adds to the literatures on knowledge transfer, firm capabiliti...