Developing the productivity of a dynamic workforce: The impact of informal knowledge transfer

✍ Scribed by Lahti, Ryan K. ;Darr, Eric D. ;Krebs, Valdis E.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 197 KB
• Volume: 21
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1531-1864
• DOI: 10.1002/npr.10015

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Given the prevalence of career changes, job‐hopping, and alternative work arrangements, how do you get a
dynamic workforce up to speed? With all of the interest in the management of knowledge, what is the main
knowledge transfer mechanism to use to enhance contract‐worker and employee productivity? Today, more
organizations are using a nontraditional workforce. These organizations are utilizing contract workers as well as
employees as resources to provide services and manufacture products. This article focuses on enabling this dynamic
workforce to be productive by addressing the organizational socialization “policy,” the formal
knowledge transfer, and the informal knowledge transfer related to helping individuals perform at work. This
article especially focuses on informal knowledge transfer via social networks, because it is the type of knowledge
transfer that is the least understood by companies due to its being difficult to measure and improve. By using a
case study of a Fortune 100 company, the article reveals what types of knowledge are important to
transfer, the sources of the knowledge, and the mechanism used to transfer this knowledge. It also demonstrates
how informal knowledge transfer impacts performance and provides an indication of the effectiveness of
organizational socialization. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.