Enablers and Barriers of Knowledge Spiral: A Case Study

Knowledge Management (KM) and knowledge sharing (KS) have become crucial tasks for both Middle Managers and Top Managers of many organizations, especially those who highly rely on the type of knowledge which is difficult to transfer from one person to another, or what is called "Tacit Knowledge". The objective of this case study is to review the practical knowledge transfer techniques, the main motivators and demotivators of a tacit knowledge transfer process, and the measures that can be taken to overcome the demotivation factors. Siemens is chosen for this case study because it has been recently rated as one of the top Knowledge-Management-driven companies. We present here our own observations on some of the KM practices that Siemens strives to implement in its branches in the Middle East countries and the barriers which are challenging such practices.