A Knowledge Asset-Based View of Technology: Transfer in International Joint Ventures

Abstract An integrated framework of the technology transfer process is proposed, developed from insights gained in the study of two international joint ventures. With it we try to address such questions as how much effort is required to transfer different types of technologies and what impact the organization's existing competencies or capabilities might have on that process. The framework depicts the organization as a collection of various types of embodied knowledge such as technology, operating procedures, and organizational structure. Differences between firms result from the different combinations of embodied knowledge types that are used to accomplish organizational ends. Technology transfer is considered here to be the transfer of these embodied knowledge assets between organizations. Four categories, Transfer Scope, Transfer Method, Knowledge Architecture, and Organizational Adaptive Ability, describe important elements of the transfer process. Transfer Scope describes the extent of embodied information being transferred. Transfer Method describes the approaches used to transfer the technology. Knowledge Architecture describes the structure and the interdependencies between the firm's knowledge assets. Organizational Adaptive Ability describes an organization's ability to change its knowledge architecture over time. Finally, relationships between the categories are proposed. The discussion of those proposed relationships offers insights into the nature of the technology transfer process. It also suggests implications for practitioners involved in technology transfer, as well as for academics interested in future research in this area.