The challenge corporate management confronts in the face of the global transformation of business is that to remain competitive, they must continuously create and share new knowledge. But it is exceedingly difficult to generate new knowledge in a closed system. Crossing the corporate boundary to acquire new ideas and knowledge is a growing imperative.;This research was inspired by a multimillion dollar syndicated research program whose participants confront the task of transferring new strategic knowledge developed by external, expert researchers to their sponsoring companies. The study investigates the experiences of seventeen corporate managers selected by six multinational companies for the role of "knowledge agent" in which they were exposed to a large body of proprietary intellectual property intended to create competitive advantage for their firms. The objective of the study is to improve the flow of learning across the corporate boundary.;This expository and comparative case study explores the expectations and perceptions of an intentional sample of knowledge agents from some of the largest corporations in the world. It describes the solutions they devise for learning transfer, the enablers and obstacles they encounter and the outcome for their organizations as they participate in this collaborative learning exercise.;The study results include eight findings from the research questions that yield five themes for the success of knowledge agents. These include the need for advance preparation and direction, the importance of a senior champion to facilitate organizational access, the importance of personal engagement in the learning process, the need to promote the transfer and finding a meaningful connection to the business DNA of the organization.
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