Facilitating trust among entrepreneurs' to access tacit knowledge : The SLNIW story

Mullally, Martina and Brett, Valerie and O'Gorman, Bill and Carr, James and Fuller-Love, Nerys (2011) Facilitating trust among entrepreneurs' to access tacit knowledge : The SLNIW story. In: Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on Knowledge Management, ECKM 2011 :. Proceedings of the European Conference on Knowledge Management, ECKM . UNSPECIFIED, DEU, pp. 687-694. ISBN 9781908272096

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Abstract

The Sustainable Learning Networks in Ireland and Wales (SLNIW) project aims to increase the competitiveness, creativity and innovative capacities and capabilities of micro-enterprises and SMEs in South East Ireland and West Wales by increasing accessibility to local entrepreneurial knowledge via the establishment of self-learning networks. To achieve this end the project created six networks, three in Ireland and three in Wales where explicit and tacit knowledge flows between the participants. The networks consisted of two all male groups, two all female groups and two mixed gender groups. The SLNIW project is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the INTERREG 4A Ireland Wales Programme 2007-2013 and is being undertaken by the Centre for Enterprise Development and Regional Economy (CEDRE) at the School of Business, Waterford Institute of Technology, in partnership with the School of Management and Business, Aberystwyth University in Wales. SLNIW is a longitudinal study spanning two years of engagement with the network participants. The data gathering methods used include observations and questionnaires. This paper outlines the role of SLNIW in facilitating trust among entrepreneurs and the monitoring of initial trustful communication in the learning networks in supporting the development of tacit knowledge flows. The findings of this study suggest that when establishing learning networks trust is a key factor in increasing accessibility to tacit knowledge. Therefore, reinforcing the importance of establishing trust, the consequences of breaking trust and the necessity of trust is very important to increasing accessibility to entrepreneurial tacit knowledge. This paper contributes to the existing body of research on tacit knowledge andhighlights the importance of trust in the knowledge transfer process and how a self-learning network can enable greater accessibility to tacit knowledge. This research has implications for academics, practitioners, entrepreneurs and policy makers who are concerned with the establishment of networks to propagate knowledge and technology transfer.

Item Type: Book Section
Uncontrolled Keywords: /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1800/1802
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Depositing User: Admin SSL
Date Deposited: 19 Oct 2022 23:16
Last Modified: 03 Feb 2023 00:03
URI: http://repository-testing.wit.ie/id/eprint/4970

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