Barriers of Knowledge Transfer between Globally Distributed Teams in ICT Product Development

Abstract

Increased globalization has generated a growth of globally distributed teams, which are characterized by geographical distance and used by organizations to increase innovation. However, to be able to collaborate effectively, teams are obligated to continuously conduct knowledge transfer (KT) between different geographical locations. Thus, this paper focused on identifying the main barriers that globally distributed teams face in conducting KT and how these barriers are unraveled. Based on an interpretative case study of a product development unit (PDU) in research and development (R&D) department of a telecom company, we identified eight main barriers that hinder the KT between globally distributed teams. These barriers are; knowledge embeddedness, knowledge accessibility and documentation gaps, knowledge complexity, knowledge problematic articulability, ICT tools reliance vs. face to face, inefficient ICT tools utilization, inefficient IT support, and lack of formal processes and guidelines.