The role of entrepreneurs in transferring knowledge through human resource management and joint venture

Purpose – The transfer of knowledge is a source of competitive advantage, and in particular, transfer between organisations through cooperation between firms via a joint venture. This paper aims to discuss some of the issues Design/methodology/approach – The hypotheses were contrasted via a structural equation model using a sample of 74 firms, 51 of which were Spanish and 23 from the rest of the world, which had recently cooperated. Findings – The authors address the question of the positive influence of employees on knowledge transfer. They do not influence the process. Second, the authors propose the influence of intermediate management on knowledge transfer. These managers play a very relevant role. However, with regard to the influence proposed of high‐level managers, the authors find that they do not play a relevant role as this type of process. Research limitations/implications – The authors carried out an in‐depth review of the literature that reveals that few studies either theoretically or empirically address this question. They begin with the idea that organisational knowledge is the basis of business today. Not all organisations have all the knowledge they need to carry out their strategies. Originality/value – The role of HR is an essential element in order to be able to carry out interorganisational transfer. The authors consider how the degree of involvement of resources positively influences knowledge transfer. It is important to develop adequate HR policies for fomenting transfer, especially motivating staff by fostering the development and exploitation of knowledge transfer.