A Translation Theory of Knowledge Transfer

Kjell Arne Røvik is Professor of Organization Theory at the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø. His main research interest involves studies of knowledge transfer across organizational borders, institutional change, and the creation, spread and implementation of organizational practices and ideas. He is also dedicated to questions of theory development in management and organization research. He has published numerous books and articles on these subjects.

A Translation Theory of Knowledge Transfer is a real tour de force through the knowledge transfer field. The book masterfully surveys decades of research and provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of this field of study. Professor Røvik deftly shows the limits of the prevailing ways of thinking about knowledge transfer, and he offers an alternative in the metaphor and theory of translation. A must read for anyone with an interest in knowledge transfer.

• 1: Knowledge Transfer and the Quest for the X-factor The State of the Art 2: What We Do and Do Not Know - Knowledge Transfer Schools and their Insights In Search of a New Theory 3: Antecedents of a Translation Theory of Knowledge Transfer The Theory 4: Reframing Knowledge Transfer as Acts of Translations 5: Revealing the Rules of Knowledge Translation 6: Reimagining that Translators and Translations Make a Difference Implications for Knowledge Transfer Practices 7: Translation Competence