<p>Project management has become a natural way of conducting activities in companies.  The goal is continuous improvement in project performance.  The way knowledge is managed in the company is crucial for gaining competitive advantage.  Knowledge management and learning, has been recognized by academics and practitioners as important to achieving success and improvement in projects.</p><p> </p><p>Achieving continuous improvement is considered a difficult task.  The difficulty lies in capturing and storing the knowledge and learning from one individual to another and from one project to another.  In this study the researcher has reviewed the mechanisms and processes from recent research which are supposed to facilitate knowledge transfer and learning.  Nevertheless, the academic and practitioner researchers do not seem to have a common ground on how to facilitate knowledge transfer and learning, even though there are many mechanisms and processes suggested.  Their results are not concurrent in effective and efficient facilitation of knowledge and learning.</p><p>The researcher has conducted a qualitative case study through seven interviews.  The empirical study was done in a Company X which provides air traffic services.  It shows that some of the practices institutionalized by Case Company X are different from what the literature suggests.  Moreover, the environment wherein these mechanisms and processes co-exist is particular from what the literature suggests.  A learning landscape of Case Company X is identified based on the empirical data.  Recommendations and suggestions are provided in the end to increase knowledge transfer and improve learning in and between projects at Case Company X.</p>

Tacit knowledge refers to the knowledge that is located inside individuals; it is not expressed or written like explicit knowledge. Inherently, tacit knowledge is often limited solely to one person and consequently individually based. Project based companies need to acknowledge the importance of transforming tacit knowledge into explicit in order to preserve the knowledge inside the organisation. If the knowledge is not transformed, there is a great risk of losing the knowledge when a key individual leaves the organization. One way of transforming the tacit knowledge is through Nonaka’s and Takeuchi’s knowledge spiral. But the knowledge spiral ignores some wider issues that should be included in order to achieve a transformation. This thesis shows that the knowledge spiral is a good base but the organisation has to provide a supporting context and an open culture to create an environment where a transformation can be accomplished. This thesis stresses that a transformation is not always the ultimate choice since it is not, at all times, possible. In some cases, distribution of tacit knowledge throughout the organisation is a better alternative to preserve the knowledge. A distribution can, for instance, be done through learning by doing. The thesis demonstrates that an organisation has to choose either a transformation or a distribution. The choice depends on which alternative that brings the most improvements, advantages and effectiveness for the organisation. The situation will then, as a consequence, decide whether the knowledge is to be transformed or not.

Project management has become a natural way of conducting activities in companies.  The goal is continuous improvement in project performance.  The way knowledge is managed in the company is crucial for gaining competitive advantage.  Knowledge management and learning, has been recognized by academics and practitioners as important to achieving success and improvement in projects.   Achieving continuous improvement is considered a difficult task.  The difficulty lies in capturing and storing the knowledge and learning from one individual to another and from one project to another.  In this study the researcher has reviewed the mechanisms and processes from recent research which are supposed to facilitate knowledge transfer and learning.  Nevertheless, the academic and practitioner researchers do not seem to have a common ground on how to facilitate knowledge transfer and learning, even though there are many mechanisms and processes suggested.  Their results are not concurrent in effective and efficient facilitation of knowledge and learning. The researcher has conducted a qualitative case study through seven interviews.  The empirical study was done in a Company X which provides air traffic services.  It shows that some of the practices institutionalized by Case Company X are different from what the literature suggests.  Moreover, the environment wherein these mechanisms and processes co-exist is particular from what the literature suggests.  A learning landscape of Case Company X is identified based on the empirical data.  Recommendations and suggestions are provided in the end to increase knowledge transfer and improve learning in and between projects at Case Company X.

<p>Tacit knowledge refers to the knowledge that is located inside individuals; it is not expressed or written like explicit knowledge. Inherently, tacit knowledge is often limited solely to one person and consequently individually based. Project based companies need to acknowledge the importance of transforming tacit knowledge into explicit in order to preserve the knowledge inside the organisation. If the knowledge is not transformed, there is a great risk of losing the knowledge when a key individual leaves the organization.</p><p>One way of transforming the tacit knowledge is through Nonaka’s and Takeuchi’s knowledge spiral. But the knowledge spiral ignores some wider issues that should be included in order to achieve a transformation. This thesis shows that the knowledge spiral is a good base but the organisation has to provide a supporting context and an open culture to create an environment where a transformation can be accomplished. This thesis stresses that a transformation is not always the ultimate choice since it is not, at all times, possible. In some cases, distribution of tacit knowledge throughout the organisation is a better alternative to preserve the knowledge. A distribution can, for instance, be done through learning by doing. The thesis demonstrates that an organisation has to choose either a transformation or a distribution. The choice depends on which alternative that brings the most improvements, advantages and effectiveness for the organisation. The situation will then, as a consequence, decide whether the knowledge is to be transformed or not.</p>