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Ambidextrous Knowledge Transfer Strategy in the Era of Digital Transformation

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Ambidextrous Global Strategy in the Era of Digital Transformation

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Abstract

This chapter focuses on core human resources in ambidextrous knowledge transfer (AKT), which consists of (1) vertical knowledge transfer process between HQ and subsidiaries and (2) horizontal knowledge transfer process between subsidiaries in different countries. To address this question, we conducted an in-depth case study comparing two subsidiaries of Firm-OH, a Japanese firm and identified significant differences among the subsidiaries in terms of employee efficiency level. This is a striking finding because, across the subsidiaries, the task (assembling blood pressure monitors) is uniform; yet workers in Vietnam surpassed those in Dalian and Japan within 10 years. While we noted other alternative region-specific factors such as labor cost, we nevertheless believe labor costs do not sufficiently explain the regional competitive advantage. Our case elucidates that an individual’s prior knowledge can hinder the absorption of knowledge. For highly sticky knowledge, we identified the important role of a leader who serves as the expert and international boundary-spanner to contextualize the knowledge to fit the mental models of the Vietnamese employees.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan

    Young Won Park

  2. Manufacturing Management Research Center, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Young Won Park

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Correspondence to Young Won Park .

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  1. Faculty of Economics, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan

    Young Won Park

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Park, Y.W. (2022). Ambidextrous Knowledge Transfer Strategy in the Era of Digital Transformation. In: Park, Y.W. (eds) Ambidextrous Global Strategy in the Era of Digital Transformation. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-2627-3_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-2627-3_5

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