How to improve the knowledge sharing within a MNC : The case of PROACT GROUP

Abstract: This Project Research is the result of our Master Thesis, which concerns the attitude of sharing knowledge among managers and employees across countries inside a  Multinational Corporation. This thesis deals with the question of how multinationals work with knowledge embedded in people which must be transferred within the company itself and among this latter and its subsidiaries. According to the premise that knowledge is arguably one of the most important factor in today's economy, the key challenge for companies, therefore, is to develop, apply and then transfer knowledge, in order to improve the competitive advantage. On the bases of it, we would like to analyze the overall transfer knowledge process and from a human resources management point of view, we would like to individuate the stones which block this process and then to discuss the probable implications for multinationals. We have chosen PROACT Group, a consultancy services, support and systems firm in the fields of storage and archiving as our case study. This study involves a survey on thirty-two participants among managers and employees from the eight international subsidiaries of the PROACT Group. We have used a multilevel analysis, including top line level and bottom line level to retrieve comprehensive data on knowledge sharing to do an in-depth analysis of the staff's knowledge sharing in the organization. At bottom line level, this research tries to identify the employee's cognitive feelings of shared knowledge. At top line level, the manager's knowledge sharing behaviours with employees and the factors affecting knowledge sharing behaviours in teams. We also test moderating factors in both levels in order to get the willingness to share their knowledge in the organization. This study examines three keys aspects which include transfer knowledge process, culture influences and incentives to deal with the barriers.