thesis_Daniela Noethen_print final - Jacobs University

Knowledge, Knowledge Management, and Knowledge Transfer
1.2. Conclusions and implications for the study design
In the previous sections, different types and characteristics of knowledge have been described,
and it seems obvious that not all types of knowledge are equally threatened to be lost. With
respect to knowledge characteristics, explicit knowledge, for example, is less vulnerable to
knowledge loss than tacit knowledge as it is far easier to document (although an effort to
document it still has to be made). In a similar manner, certain knowledge types or knowledge
contents are exposed to a greater threat of knowledge loss than others, and the loss of some
contents would have more severe consequences than others. As DeLong (2004) puts it, “losing a
veteran accountant or HR manager may be temporarily disruptive, but not as costly as losing a
key salesperson managing internal accounts” (p. 27). Thus, as different departments or units
usually possess different types or contents of knowledge, the threat of knowledge loss differs
across such divisions: According to DeLong (2004), the threat of losing knowledge is especially
pertinent in research and development departments as well as in organizational domains with
knowledge that is critical for productivity gains, efficiency, continued performance
improvements, or for running sophisticated systems (computer or otherwise). Additionally,
organizational areas with individuals who engage in extensive personal relationships, e.g., to
costumers or providers, are prone to the loss of knowledge. In general, it can be said that
whenever single employees exclusively possess a certain piece of knowledge that is critical to
the functioning of a task, a team, a division etc., this knowledge is extremely valuable and at a
greater risk of being lost.
Consequently, not every single retiree’s knowledge has to be meticulously retained (because
it exists somewhere else in the organization and will not be lost), and not every team, division or
even organization is equally affected by the threat of knowledge loss. For example, results of a
study by King and Zeithaml (2003) indicate that organizational knowledge resources vary
significantly across industries and even among companies within the same industry.
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