An Overview of Knowledge Transfer in Modern Organizations: The Categorization of the Levels of Knowledge

Knowledge transfer in the case of organizations enables one unit to learn from another that has greater experience with the outcome in learners, resulting in cost reduction, saving time, innovation, and improved quality. Despite numerous studies advising on the types, strategies, and models of knowledge transfer, literature has been less cognizant of how many studies provide strategies for knowledge transfer within the various types of knowledge in isolation. This study provides an overview of knowledge transfer in modern organizations with a focus on categorization of the levels of knowledge. A systematic review of literature was used with the application of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Tool. This study found that the categorization of levels of knowledge transfer within organizations is in four distinct groups: i.e., by type of knowledge (embrained, embodied, encoded, and embedded); by absorptive & retentive capacity (fundamental, elementary, intermediate, and advanced); by length of work experience (novice, advanced beginner, competence, and proficient); and by levels of learning (surface learning, deep learning, and adaptive learning). Despite their differences, these approaches adopt a hierarchical approach to knowledge transfer. They all acknowledge the differences in complexity of knowledge as learners move from one level to another as they start with the learning of basic and structured knowledge. The more the learners get exposure to tasks and are assimilated into the organization environment, the more they absorb and retain complex unstructured knowledge, commonly referred to by other studies as tacit knowledge held by experienced seniors. Organizations should recognize the fragmented nature of knowledge, including nature, complexity, level of hierarchy in the structure, and longevity of experience. Practitioners should identify the dimensions of their organizations critical for building competitive advantage. Such dimensions may include the core business, the type of industry, and valuable skills.