*2.1.1 The spread of the knowledge*

The spread of knowledge can take place through its transfer through knowledge sharing processes.

*Knowledge transfer (KT)*, instead, has been described as "a process of systematic exchange of information and skills between entities" [19]. An integrated transfer model [11] consists of the total transfer of knowledge from one subject to another. At the base of the resolution and of the ease of the transfer, there are the attitudes, the values, and the competences of the individuals who are part of the organization and who are involved in the exchange [19]. The spread of knowledge can take place through a knowledge transfer on a knowledge sharing processes [19].

*Knowledge sharing (KS)*, substantially, is linked to the organizational culture, which is the key factor for the success of the dissemination of knowledge [19]. For the concept of sharing to exist, there must be a strong corporate identity and strengthened sense of belonging. Sharing can take place only if it is promoted and stimulated by the organization [19].

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or scanning [23].

*The Management, Sharing and Transfer of Knowledge in the Oil Districts - The Case Study…*

1. **Subjective:** subjective factors relate to the degree of resistance to learning and depend on the subjects involved in the transfer process [20]. They are related to the intentionality, transparency and receptivity of the subjects involved, which are:

a.*Source:* it is the one who must share his knowledge with others; there is often a mechanism of resistance of the subject to the transfer caused by the

b.*Receiver:* he/she is the one to whom knowledge must be transferred; it is a

2.**Objective:** objective factors concern the nature of knowledge, i.e. characteristics and level of coding: tacit and explicit knowledge [14] or implicit and

The main authors argue that social organizations, businesses, classes and societies evolve by adapting the body of knowledge shared by their members and that much of the process takes place at the tacit level. The distinction between explicit and implicit is vital, because it allows scholars to identify different adaptation mechanisms with different characteristics or types of knowledge and learning. Some authors [15] suggest that an effective inter-intra transfer of knowledge within or between one or more organizations is a function of the following five forces:

1.The value of the unit knowledge source reserve: the higher the value, the

2.The motivational disposition of the source of knowledge: organizational policy, competition and other obstacles can reduce a unit's desire to share its

3.Existence and richness of communication channels: the flows of knowledge within the organization are facilitated if there are clear communication chan-

4.Motivational disposition of the receiving unit: if the receiver underestimates the importance of knowledge of the source, mechanisms of resistance to the

5.Capacity of absorption or capacity of assimilation of the target unit: the ability to recognize the value of information, assimilate it and apply it to commercial purposes of the recipient determines its success in adopting external knowledge. More new knowledge is similar to the knowledge of target unit, greater is the similarity between the transmitter and the target unit, greater will be the

a.**Acquisition**: in order to be transferred, knowledge must be acquired. The organization could learn from its past; by "doing", borrowing and acquiring individuals with new knowledge; and through a continuous process of research

nels and open and frequent communication between the parties.

The transfer mechanism is based on two key elements:

fear of a possible loss of power and/or prestige [21].

subject that must have a good capacity for assimilation.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86298*

explicit knowledge [22].

greater the attraction for the other units.

adoption of knowledge can be created.

absorption capacity of the target unit.

The transfer process in **Figure 2** is composed of five phases:

knowledge with other parts of the organization.

*The Management, Sharing and Transfer of Knowledge in the Oil Districts - The Case Study… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86298*

The transfer mechanism is based on two key elements:

*Current Issues in Knowledge Management*

the various natures considered.

*The knowledge type's matrix.*

**Figure 1.**

*2.1.1 The spread of the knowledge*

stimulated by the organization [19].

sharing processes.

From the match of these four types of knowledge in a double input matrix, in **Figure 1**, it is possible to identify the characteristics and levels of standardization of

1.**Automatic:** it is an absolutely personal, implicit and individual knowledge. It

2.**Aware:** it is one of the most objective knowledge. It is explicit and mainly referable to contours and parameters. it is, however, individual, therefore, closely

3.**Collective:** it is based on routines; it is collective and partially transferable, depending on the context to which the individuals belong. Routines have an implicit knowledge base and can become automatisms thus allowing the

4.**Objective:** it is explicit knowledge, based on technical and behavioral standards and represents the mainly transferable type, since the standards are codified and normative. However, it is the most imitable knowledge, because it is little connected to the personality of individuals and easy to imitate [18].

The spread of knowledge can take place through its transfer through knowledge

*Knowledge transfer (KT)*, instead, has been described as "a process of systematic exchange of information and skills between entities" [19]. An integrated transfer model [11] consists of the total transfer of knowledge from one subject to another. At the base of the resolution and of the ease of the transfer, there are the attitudes, the values, and the competences of the individuals who are part of the organization and who are involved in the exchange [19]. The spread of knowledge can take place

*Knowledge sharing (KS)*, substantially, is linked to the organizational culture, which is the key factor for the success of the dissemination of knowledge [19]. For the concept of sharing to exist, there must be a strong corporate identity and strengthened sense of belonging. Sharing can take place only if it is promoted and

through a knowledge transfer on a knowledge sharing processes [19].

The characteristics of the knowledge, which emerge from the matrix, are:

is not codified and deals with the behaviour of individuals [18].

linked to the subjectivity of the person [18].

economization of cognitive resources [18].

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	- a.*Source:* it is the one who must share his knowledge with others; there is often a mechanism of resistance of the subject to the transfer caused by the fear of a possible loss of power and/or prestige [21].
	- b.*Receiver:* he/she is the one to whom knowledge must be transferred; it is a subject that must have a good capacity for assimilation.

The main authors argue that social organizations, businesses, classes and societies evolve by adapting the body of knowledge shared by their members and that much of the process takes place at the tacit level. The distinction between explicit and implicit is vital, because it allows scholars to identify different adaptation mechanisms with different characteristics or types of knowledge and learning.

Some authors [15] suggest that an effective inter-intra transfer of knowledge within or between one or more organizations is a function of the following five forces:


The transfer process in **Figure 2** is composed of five phases:

a.**Acquisition**: in order to be transferred, knowledge must be acquired. The organization could learn from its past; by "doing", borrowing and acquiring individuals with new knowledge; and through a continuous process of research or scanning [23].

**Figure 2.** *The knowledge transfer process.*


In the process of knowledge transfer and like more in the sharing process, the personal interaction is fundamental [23]: the receiver must be able to understand the context in which the source of knowledge finds itself acting, in order to learn it and make it its own [23]; the system in which the two subjects operate must promote and encourage the interaction between the involved subjects. KT can be realized into an intra-organizational and an inter-organizational level: the fundamental difference existing between two atmospheres of reference resides in the fact that, while in the same organization the sharing of common cultural values can enface the process, many other problems affect inter-organizational knowledge transfer.

The main barriers that the transfer can find, on its distance, are represented by:


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*The Management, Sharing and Transfer of Knowledge in the Oil Districts - The Case Study…*

are individual responses to certain psychological situations.

must also be consistent with a philosophy of openness.

work and form cross-functional work teams.

c.**Attitudes:** these are the natural inclinations that each individual has for a given

d.**Behaviors:** they are the external and directly observable manifestations which

Among several fundamental factors that affect KT, a key role is carried out by the management: in fact, it is just in the top management that the collective tacit

Effective KT is a complex process that requires a manager to consider problems at different levels [25]. It also requires a balance between soft and hard factors to facilitate the process. The most important managerial activities to ensure an effec-

a.The existence of a high level of trust among people working at different levels of the organization. This is demonstrated by the widespread sharing and immediate access to information about the organization. Leaders' behaviour

b.A culture of strong collaboration and cooperation must exist. It is developed through work practices that encourage and allow individuals and groups to work together, on projects and problems. It is important to emphasize team-

c.The existence of a strong culture of continuous improvement and learning linked to problem research and problem solving and focused on specific values, such as product quality and customer service. It is important to encourage employers: to gather relevant information, to use and share that information in

problem solving and to implement innovative solutions and practices.

competences among employees must be relatively consistent.

d.An organizational project is needed to encourage horizontal communication. For knowledge transfer to be favored, there should be few hierarchical barriers that could block the flow of communication; to this end, the level of skills and

If the employees are well trained, they have both the knowledge and the skills to do their job and achieve the desired value [26]. Moreover, there must be a balanced approach in encouraging the transfer of knowledge and sharing through structured processes—such as sharing best practices—and through best practices and less structured processes, such as mentoring, group dialog and the session of reflection [27]. Finally, the system of rewards and incentives should not be focused only on financial results or results based on competition between the groups of the organization: they should be based on other criteria, such as knowledge sharing,

The industrial districts are a field of analysis that is very rich in contributions that have outlined, in a complex way, the profile and characteristics of the production systems. In the Italian economics and business sphere, the concept of ID was first introduced [28] in a contribution intended to integrate Marshallian thought on business clusters with reflections and research on the nature of industrial development in more recent decades. The ID and its configurations are defined as

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86298*

activity [24].

knowledge resides [25].

tive transfer of knowledge are [25]:

cooperation and work team [25].

**2.2 Industrial district**

*The Management, Sharing and Transfer of Knowledge in the Oil Districts - The Case Study… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86298*


Among several fundamental factors that affect KT, a key role is carried out by the management: in fact, it is just in the top management that the collective tacit knowledge resides [25].

Effective KT is a complex process that requires a manager to consider problems at different levels [25]. It also requires a balance between soft and hard factors to facilitate the process. The most important managerial activities to ensure an effective transfer of knowledge are [25]:


If the employees are well trained, they have both the knowledge and the skills to do their job and achieve the desired value [26]. Moreover, there must be a balanced approach in encouraging the transfer of knowledge and sharing through structured processes—such as sharing best practices—and through best practices and less structured processes, such as mentoring, group dialog and the session of reflection [27]. Finally, the system of rewards and incentives should not be focused only on financial results or results based on competition between the groups of the organization: they should be based on other criteria, such as knowledge sharing, cooperation and work team [25].
