Vectors
Unintentional / Intentional KL
Positive
Negative
Comments
Suppliers
Intentional KL
Leaking knowledge only about
standardized or repetitive
components
(outflow)
Protects core competences
and keeping in-house /
maintaining barriers to entry
Could be detrimental in long
term as an inhibitor of
innovation becoming ‘core
rigidities’
Not leaking anything that bears
critical knowledge (outflow)
Protects core competences
and keeping in-house /
maintaining barriers to entry
Knowledge leakage through
market intelligence gathering
by all suppliers in chain (inflow
and outflow)
Exploiting suppliers as a
source of market
intelligence/to improve
competiveness through their
role in supply/value chain
actors (inflow)
Leaking knowledge for
subcontracting
Cost benefits, access to
expertise, risk transfer, etc
Requires further empirical
investigation – possibly
through second round of
scoping interviews
Suppliers exploiting market
intelligence which is fed
through the actors in the
supply/value chain. In
particular, risk of suppliers
imitating business model
(outflow)
Suppliers can imitate business
model (outflow) Needs
validation/further investigation
Lit showing benefits of
collaboration etc
Off the shelf versus
bespoke – diff KL
impacts
Could be negative but
did not emerge strongly
from interviews
Leaking knowledge through
outsourcing to other countries
(inflow and outflow)
Learn about opportunities in
emerging markets (inflow)
Suppliers can imitate business
model and/or copy products
(outflow)
How do you tell if this
inflow is intentional or
not? Particularly with
respect to the link with
competitors as supply
chain members.
Product time scales etc
See also unintentional
inflow
How do you tell when
the inflow is intentional
or not?
Leaking only ‘need to know
knowledge’ (outflow)
Leaking knowledge during
tendering/ bidding process
(inflow and outflow)
Knowledge leakage through the
creation of a strategic alliance /
partnership with the supply
chain. Collaboration with
suppliers. (inflow and outflow)
Leaking knowledge into the
public domain (e.g.via supplier
networks) (outflow)
Knowledge leakage via
Protection of critical
knowledge,
Not overloading recipient
with knowledge
Supplier driven-innovation
(inflow)
Winning of bids, etc
Suppliers ‘in the dark’ and
unable to contribute to product
and process innovation.
Complementary skills /
competences. Development.
Ensure high value-added
Empowering the suppliers to
own the problem (inflow and
outflow)
Generates new
markets/product ideas that
company has some
competence in supplying to.
Premature alliances can break
with an attendant loss of
knowledge.
Accrue short-term gains from
May give away critical
Loss of knowledge and
investment if supplier goes
elsewhere with product ideas
presented, etc (outflow)
Premature release might
prevent firms from entering the
market at a later date.
Supplier-driven
innovation includes new
juicier blueberries being
presented to cake
maker.
Changing culture from
arms length to
collaboration.
Collaborate with
complimentary but not
competitive disciplines
Greater good – k
sharing / diffusion etc?
See also unintentional;
not clear if companies
are responsible for
defining what should be
released into the public
domain, or some other
arbiter? Another
example from Dewjoc
with respect to clean
rooms and university
collaboration
Could this be
Suppliers
outsourcing primarily driven
by a resource need (as opposed
to strategic decision) (outflow)
outsourcing [not from
empirical data]
knowledge through need to
have work done (outflow)
Sharing product/ process
knowledge from suppliers
(outflow or inflow?)
Traceability – consequently a
knowledge management
system is generated.
Requires empirical
investigation
Knowledge leakage through
market intelligence gathering
by all members of the supply
chain (inflow and outflow)
Exploitation of suppliers for
the provision of market
intelligence through their links
within and between the
supply/value chain actors
(inflow)
Supplier partnering /
communication / within the
supply chain - ‘horizontal’
leaking of source company
knowledge (horizontal outflow /
diffusion?)
Knowledge sharing for
development of value-added
products in supply chain etc
(horizontals outflow /
diffusion?)
Suppliers exploiting market
intelligence which is fed
through the actors in the
supply/value chain. In
particular, risk of suppliers
imitating business model
(outflow)
Further investigation needed
Leaking of knowledge during
bidding / tendering process
(outflow)
Leaking knowledge through
outsourcing to other countries
The transfer of knowledge can
be the factor that wins the
contract
Enhanced knowledge about
business processes and
unintentional? This
might be an unintended
consequence whilst
being intentional.
Unintentional
Loss of knowledge if supplier
goes to other clients, etc.
(outflow)
Product and process is copied
by suppliers in other countries
Could have negative
impacts too?
Again – how do you tell
if the inflow is
(inflow)
Knowledge leaked through
transfer due to cultural
differences
Leaking knowledge into the
public domain (e.g. via supplier
networks) (inflow and outflow)
opportunities in new countries
with emerging markets.
Enables new safeguards to be
constructed to limit damage
over longer term- needs
investigating (inflow)
Investigate this cell –
knowledge inflow from
cultural differences may be
significant.
Generates new
markets/product ideas that
company has some
competence in supplying to.
and rebranded. This needs
validating]
intentional or not?
Loss of important knowledge
Impedance of effective
knowledge transfer (inflow and
outflow)
Premature release may impact
by preventing company in
entering a product market even
if resources become available.
Rhodes to refer to
literature. From BAe
Loss of knowledge – loss of
accrued knowledge by
supplier, etc (outflow). Will
affect the production process
and hence productivity.
Needs investigation – but
Change of communication
Knowledge leakage through
change of ownership of supplier more investment by new owner process (inflow and outflow),
may produce better services?
Could become owned by a
(inflow and outflow)
competitor, etc (outflow)
Leaking of knowledge through
suppliers leaving through
supplier viability and
bankruptcy, etc (outflow)
Needs investigating. Could be
a blessing in disguise before
too much is lost?!
Sometimes comes from
things that should not
have been said in
conferences or other
polite company.
Time line of projects etc
effects criticality of this
happening
Vectors
Unintentional / Intentional KL
Positive
Negative
Comments
Customers
Intentional KL
Can be used by clients – if
trust is not in place – as a
bargaining chip with other
suppliers.
Trust here is critical
Leaking knowledge via sample
contracts and non-disclosure
agreements (inflow and outflow?)
Educate client and manage
expectations (inflow and
outflow). Shaping briefs to
mutual satisfaction (inflow
and outflow)
Learning from customers –
intensive info sharing
(technical, product and
scientific, procedural
knowledge) (inflow)
Customers have valuable
knowledge about their own
markets, supplier relations
and competition.
Process knowledge that saves
time and resources – not reinventing the wheel
Leaking knowledge via a
customer relationship
management system (inflow and
Positive because…..
Inquiry process to translate
clients requirements (built up
Leaking knowledge in order to
craft business propositions with
customers (inflow and outflow)
Customers leaking knowledge
back to company (inflow)
Knowledge leakage through
market intelligence from
customers (inflow?)
How to tell if this was
intentional?
Occurs more at the
beginning and less as
time goes on.
Could this one be
linked to above?
Sample contracts need to be
taken as guidance rather than
as useable documents that are
eminently transferable.
Is this not a
preventative measure?
outflow)
Repetitive use of leaked
knowledge via repeat business
(inflow and outflow)
Customers
forms to make sure necc
knowledge is not
leaked)(inflow)
No need to leak knowledge to
another customer (outflow) /
receive leaked knowledge
from a customer, etc (inflow)
Knowledge leakage to
competitors via customers
(bidding processes,
communication, development
work etc) (inflow and outflow)
Gain competitor’s leaked
knowledge via customer
(inflow)
Theft
Have knowledge transferred
either through recruitment or
by moles inside competitor
businesses
Repeat business can lead to
complancency in terms of the
innovation imperative and
over-reliance on single
customers.
The transfer of knowledge can
be used as a negotiating chip
by clients in their selection of
preferred suppliers. In
nogitations, client can say
‘company B can offer this, if
you can match it, the contract
is yours’Knowledge leaked to
competitor (outflow)
Customer move to competitor
(outflow)
Link to bidding and
tendering (reduces risk
from it etc)
Customer as conduit of
knowledge
No evidence in our
study. Unethical but
probably prevalent.
Unintentional
knowledge leaked from customer
(inflow)
Learning from customer
(inflow)
May be difficult to verify/
validate. May not have full
context and therefore be
unreliable or difficult to
How to tell when its
unintentional?
operationalise.
Chinese whispers effect where
knowledge is non-verifiable or
simply inaccurate (inflow and
outflow)
Knowledge leaked through
transfer via middle men / too
many stages between customer
and service provider (inflow and
outflow)
Knowledge leaked through
transfer due to cultural
differences (inflow and outflow)
Vectors
Unintentional / Intentional KL
Competitors
Intentional KL
Knowledge leakage through
sensitive information
Leakage of the wrong
knowledge (inflow and outflow)
Impedance of effective
Very difficult to know
knowledge transfer (inflow and what is lost or gained in
outflow)
these circumstances.
Loss of knowledge (inflow and
outflow)
Positive
Negative
Comments
Poor waste management
processes particularly at the
end of a project / phase
Misinformation to competitors
(outflow)
Poor waste management
processes particularly at the
end of a project / phase
Misinformation from
competitors (inflow)
This is true of both
I’m not sure if we have
any empirical evidence
to support this.
Competitors
Knowledge leakage via
competitor clustering (inflow
and outflow)
Collaboration leading to
utilisation of shared
knowledge resources.
(strategic info etc)
Knowledge leakage via market
intelligence (inflow and
outflow)
Learning from competitors
(inflow)
Collaboration leading to
utilisation of own knowledge
resources to the benefit of
competitor rather than mutual
benefit..
Intelligence used by
competitors to increase own
market share.
Requires high levels of
trust, and trust building
mechanisms for it to
work effectively.
How can you tell its
intentional leakage
from competitors
Unintentional
General knowledge leakage
(inflow and outflow)
Give and take attitude –
always assume there is more
to learn than to lose (inflow)
Knowledge leakage to
competitors
leakage via market intelligence
(outflow)
Knowledge leakage to
competitors via customers and
suppliers (outflow)
Vectors
Unintentional / Intentional KL
People
Intentional KL
Give and take attitude requires
a risk assessment, but efficient
and innovative firms have little
to fear (outflow)
Outright theft
Competitors learning from you
(outflow)
Through the bidding process
(outflow); personnel
exchanges and nefarious
means.
Positive
Negative
Comments
Knowledge leakage through
training courses (inflow)
Knowledge leakage through
involving people in business
strategies (bottom up) (outflow)
Knowledge leakage through
Knowledge Transfer
Partnerships or other
collaborations with universities
(outflow)
Attending external courses –
bringing back training ideas
(inflow) Where students are
involved, this creates future
capacity.
Make people feel they have a
stake in business – own
direction of company (outflow)
Involvement in courses to build
up future competences and
capacity (inflow and outflow)
Hosting training courses
giving access to facilities to
competitors.
Too much involvement may
lead to confusion – not
empirically evidenced
If content influences teaching
and course design, it may be
negative for the source
company. No evidence from
scoping studies – needs
further investigation
Knowledge leakage from people Gaining other people’s
knowledge/exploit other
who come from other
perspectives (inflow)
companies (inflow)
Knowledge leakage via multidisciplinary teams (inflow and
outflow)
Learning between disciplines
(inflow and outflow)
Teams may be beyond the
boundaries of the firm, or
between subsidiaries – a
systems integration model –
where leakage is inevitable
and cannot be guaranteed to
be positive.
No evidence in scoping
study
Could this also be
inflow – via students?)
also two types of
outflow ,outflow to
uni’s and outflow
forever to students who
don’t work for them
The opposite negative
outflow
Assuming recruiting
good people; but could
be leaving competitors
because they are not
competent.
Miscommunication /
culture (outflow)
Knowledge leakage via
temporary workers (inflow and
outflow)
Knowledge leakage via
temporary and anticipated loss
of staff (outflow)
People
Depending on the knowledge
intensity of the business,
knowledge benefits accrue from
inflow of new people (inflow)
Temporary workers can leave
with knowledge of firm,
processes, strategy. Depends
on knowledge intensity of firm
and where temporary workers
are located. (outflow)
For example, holidays and
maternity/paternity leave.
See temporary workers above
The consequence is disruption
to work processes.
Inflow from
replacements? Can be
ameliorated by
efficient ‘succession
planning’. Particularly
negative if
replacements cannot
access knowledge held
by incumbents
Unintentional
Knowledge leakage via
temporary and unanticipated
loss of staff (outflow)
For example, sickness and
maternity/paternity leave
(outflow)
The consequence is disruption
to work processes.
Knowledge leakage via people
Expertise leaving (outflow)
I’m inclined to think
that maternity leave
comes in here as
although it is
anticipated, at the point
of recruitment it is
rarely a factor and
therefore the
announcement of
pregnancy can be
unanticipated.
Critical knowledge =
leaving – new jobs for particular
people (outflow)|
Vectors
Unintentional / Intentional KL
Internal /
External
Intentional KL
Knowledge leakage during the
effects impact
Positive
Negative
Comments
Adequate diffusion of external
Poor communication transfers
The info manager in
diffusion of knowledge to
different parts of the
organisation (inflow and
outflow)
Knowledge leakage through
electronic systems
Internal /
external
info (inflow and outflow)
Top down communication of
organisational strategy (inflow
and outflow)
K / info manager (inflow and
outflow)
Intelligent systems can filter
into out to suitable recipients.
For example, RSS or other
database systems.
the wrong or partial
knowledge. Unclear what
level of understanding is
needed to fruitfully receive
knowledge and apply it.
the telecoms case was
poor in identifying the
critical knowledge and
knowing who should
be the recipient.
Failure of systems (outflow –
and also inability of inflow)
Pos – easier k –
transfer (inflow and
outflow)?
Unintentional
Inadequate use (outflow)
Knowledge leakage via
electronic systems (outflow)
Knowledge leakage through
poor KM (outflow)
Vectors
Unintentional / Intentional KL
IPRs / Trust
Intentional KL
Lack of managing employees
k (outflow)
Inadequacy of k/info manager
(outflow)
See ‘intentional’ above.
Positive
Negative
Comments
Knowledge leakage through
lack of legal protection
(outflow)
IPRs / Trust
Knowledge leakage through
trust of individuals
Unintentional
Knowledge leakage through
lack of legal protection
(outflow)?
Choice to protect knowledge
based on gut feeling of
criticality of knowledge
(protects against outflow)
Published papers and specialist
materials (?)
Place more trust on certain
individuals (control of outflow)
Published papers and specialist
materials (?)
Choice to protect knowledge
based on gut feeling of
criticality of knowledge
(outflow)
Don’t understand one
???