Analyzing knowledge transfer Effectiveness - An agent-oriented modeling approach

Abstract

Facilitating the transfer of knowledge between knowledge workers represents one of the main challenges of knowledge management. Knowledge transfer instruments, such as the experience factory concept, represent means for facilitating knowledge transfer in organizations. As past research has shown, effectiveness of knowledge transfer instruments strongly depends on their situational context, on the stakeholders involved in knowledge transfer, and on their acceptance, motivation and goals. In this paper, we introduce an agent-oriented modeling approach for analyzing the effectiveness of knowledge transfer instruments in the light of (potentially conflicting) stakeholders' goals. We apply this intentional approach to the experience factory concept and analyze under which conditions it can fail, and how adaptations to the Experience Factory can be explored in a structured way. © 2007 IEEE.