Background: How to facilitate the knowledge transfer between projects is a field that has obtained a lot of attention in research. Despite this wide attention, many organizations still experience difficulties to efficiently transfer knowledge between their projects and thus the problems still remain, which appears contradictory. Previous research has had a tendency to assume that all knowledge can be articulated and codified, which has resulted in that solutions to these problems often have been directed towards the side in the transfer that creates the supply of knowledge. However, limited research has taken the receiver of the knowledge into consideration when analyzing these difficulties, who is considered to be equally influential to motivate a transfer. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of the challenges concerning the knowledge transfer from past to future projects, by exploring the importance of incorporating the receiver’s perspective in the analysis of knowledge transfer practices. Methodology: This study has applied a qualitative research methodology where the empirical data has been obtained through an interview-study with nine onsite interviews in two different firms, ABB and SIEMENS. Furthermore, documents were studied in order to compliment and increase the understanding of the information provided in the interviews. Conclusions: By incorporating the receiver in the analysis we can conclude that the practices applied are not efficient in actually transferring the complete knowledge. Herewith, socialization becomes vital as a complement to these practices in order to also transfer the ‘hidden’ explicit knowledge as well as tacit knowledge that the receiver is in need of. The findings thus demonstrate the importance of taking the nature of knowledge into account when investigating the challenges with current knowledge transfer practices.

Representing knowledge as information content alone is insufficient in providing us with an understanding of the world around us. A combination of context as well as reasoning of the information content is fundamental to representing knowledge in an information system. Knowledge Representation is typically concerned with providing structures and theories that are used as a basis for intelligent reasoning. For this research however, the author defines an alternative meaning, which is related to how knowledge is used in a given context. Thus, this dissertation provides a contribution to the field of knowledge within information systems, in terms of the development of a frame-of-reference that will support the reader in navigating through the different forms of explicit and tacit knowledge use within the manufacturing industry. In doing so, the dissertation also presents the generation of a novel classification of three forms of knowledge (Structural, Interpretive and Evaluative forms); the development of a conceptual framework which highlights the drivers for knowledge transformation; and the development of a conceptual model which seeks to envelop both the content as well as the context of knowledge (Semiotic as well as Symbiotic factors). This is established through the use of an Empirical, Quantitative case study approach, that seeks to explore an interpretivist view of knowledge representation within two information systems contexts, within two UK manufacturing organisations. The first case study presents how a-priori knowledge assumptions are used in a computer aided engineering decision-making task within a high technology manufacturing company. The second case study shows how knowledge is used within the IT/IS investment evaluation decision making process, within a manufacturing SME. In doing so, both case studies attempt to elucidate the inherent, underlying relationship between explicit and tacit knowledge, via a frame-of-reference developed by the author which defines key drivers for knowledge transformation.

Sammanfattning Datum:                               2022-05-30 Nivå:                                   Magisteruppsats Företagsekonomi, 15 hp Akademi:                            Akademin för Ekonomi, Samhälle och Teknik, Mälardalen University Författare:                           Sara Andersson                  Anna Tjärnström                                             (95/03/22)                           (96/03/05) Titel:                                   Kunskap som resurs- En fallstudie på Volvo CE om utmaningar och möjligheter inom knowledge management utifrån ledares och medarbetares upplevelser  Handledare:                        Magnus Linderström Nyckelord:                          kunskap, knowledge management, kunskapsspridning, explicit och tyst kunskap, organisation Forskningsfråga:                    Hur hanterar fallföretaget explicit och tyst kunskap utifrån ledare och medarbetares upplevelser?  Syfte:                                         Syftet med studien var att utifrån fallföretagets utmaningar och möjligheter inom knowledge management få en djupare förståelse för hur dem hanterar kunskap som resurs utifrån ledare och medarbetares upplevelser.  Metod:                                I studien användes fallstudiemetodik med en blandad metod. Fem semistrukturerade intervjuer med ledare från fallföretaget samt en enkät som skickades ut till dess medarbetare utgör empiriska data. Slutsats:                              I studiens analys urskildes tre teman som har betydelse för hur kunskap som resurs hanteras i fallföretaget. Analysen framförde att kunskap som resurs är en ständig process samtidigt som särskilda processer eller strategier för kunskapshantering inte identifierades. Det visade sig ske ett större och mer medvetet hanterande gällande explicit- än tyst kunskap / Abstract Date:                                   2022-05-30 Level:                                 Master thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr Institution:                          School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors:                              Sara Andersson                  Anna Tjärnström                                             (95/03/22)                           (96/03/05) Title:                                   Knowledge as a resource- A case study at Volvo CE on challenges and opportunities in knowledge management based on managers 'and employees' experiences Supervisor:                         Magnus Linderström Keywords:                          knowledge, knowledge management, knowledge dissemination, explicit and tacit knowledge, organization  Research question:             How does the case company handle explicit and tacit knowledge based on leaders 'and employees' experiences? Purpose:                              The purpose of the study was to, based on the fall company's challenges and opportunities in knowledge management, gain a deeper understanding of how they handle knowledge as a resource based on leaders 'and employees' experiences. Method:                              The study used the case study methodology with a mixed method. Five semi-structured interviews with leaders from the case company and a questionnaire sent out to its employees constitute empirical data. Conclusion:                        In the study's analysis, three themes were identified that are important for how knowledge as a resource is handled in the case company. The analysis stated that knowledge as a resource is a constant process at the same time as specific processes or strategies for knowledge management were not identified. It turned out that there was a greater and more conscious handling of explicit than tacit knowledge