Relevant factors for tacit knowledge transfer within organisations

Purpose – This paper aims to identify the pertinent factors for tacit knowledge transfer within a major state‐owned Brazilian oil company – Petrobras.Design/methodology/approach – The research analyses the literature concerning tacit knowledge transfer within organisations and, using a quantitative approach based on exploratory factorial analysis, seeks to collect facts in order to identify relevant factors for tacit knowledge transfer within the organisation in question.Findings – It is seen that idiosyncratic factors, the knowledge management strategy adopted by the company, and its organisational structure are relevant elements for the success of tacit knowledge transfer within the organisation.Research limitations/implications – The study was conducted just in the Sales and Marketing division of Petrobras. Therefore, its external validity cannot be tested and any attempt to make a statistical generalisation would be flawed. Another limitation is related to the acuity of perception of the employees inv...