Consultant-Client Relationship and Knowledge Transfer in Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises Change Processes.

Area of Science:

• Business Administration
• Organizational Behavior
• Knowledge Management

Background:

• Szulanski's knowledge transfer model provides a framework for understanding knowledge dissemination.
• Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often face challenges in knowledge transfer and organizational change.
• Government-funded programs aim to enhance SME performance through various interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the influence of communicational, motivational, and sharing of understanding variables on knowledge transfer and change processes in SMEs.
• To investigate the role of these variables within projects developed by funded programs.
• To identify the antecedents of sharing of understanding, motivational, and communicational variables.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Szulanski's knowledge transfer model.
• Collected data via online questionnaires from 144 entrepreneurs in Portuguese SMEs.
• Employed structural equation modeling to test hypotheses and analyze relationships between variables.

Main Results:

• Communicational, motivational, and sharing of understanding variables were positively correlated with knowledge transfer between consultants and clients.
• Knowledge transfer was positively correlated with organizational change.
• Source credibility and communication encoding competencies were identified as antecedents.

Conclusions:

• Fosters understanding of key drivers for successful knowledge transfer in SMEs.
• Highlights the positive impact of effective consultant-client relationships and government-funded initiatives on organizational change.
• Suggests avenues for future research on consultant-client dynamics and program efficacy.