Introduction

Lesson Objectives

By the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. describe the criticality of internal communication in product development process
2. mention factors that determine the internal communication network structure

• relate industry currency maintenance in the face of new technology.

1. explain knowledge management & transfer

Good internal technical communication is critical to the product development process. Research shows that the best ideas consistently come from communication with colleagues within the organization.

Two factors that heavily determine the structure of internal communication networks are:

• Organizational structure
• Physical layout of the facility

Maintaining Currency with New Technology „

Competitive threat can come from both inside and outside the industry that it will affect. To reduce this threat, the organization must constantly import new knowledge from a broad array of potential sources. ‹

Knowledge management involves

1. Gaining Knowledge

This refers to technology transfer which can occur between organizations and within the organization.

2. Disseminating Knowledge

This relates to technical communication which depends on organization structure and the physical structure of facilities.

What do we know about transferring knowledge? „

It is a ‘people process’. Transferring documentation is, at best, an auxiliary process. „ People must be in direct contact and understand each other to transfer knowledge. The best ‘package’ for knowledge is the human mind. Moving people is the most effective way to move knowledge. This can imply either organizational or geographical movement. Organizational boundaries impose a serious barrier to transfer of technology. This is due to the development of different organizational cultures.