Bridging the divide: intercultural competences to reconcile the knowledge transfer dilemma in multinational contexts

Abstract

The ability to access and exploit knowledge resources is one of the key challenges for today’s multinational corporations (MNCs). However, there is still a lack of consensus about the exact nature of the role played by culture in affecting knowledge transfer in multinational contexts. The purpose of this paper is to explore how the dynamics of national culture influence an organization operating in a cross-cultural business environment and how the company can benefit from cultural differences. We focused on a holistic single case study, the Generali Group, by performing content analysis of the evidence collected with qualitative coding techniques. We propose a framework, based on the integration of intercultural competences and the use of specific knowledge facilitation mechanisms, which allows knowledge to spread in a more easy and fluid way in multinational environments and supports MNCs in reconciling the knowledge transfer dilemma.

Keywords:

• Knowledge transfer
• Knowledge sharing
• National culture
• Facilitation mechanisms
• MNCs