The Exploration Phase of Replication Strategies: The Role of Autonomous Action for Reverse Knowledge Flows
研究复制策略中自主行动如何影响反向知识流动，发现自主行动能降低启动粘性但可能增加实施粘性，且受单位经理资源期望的调节。
Abstract Replication strategies rely on the exploration of new knowledge. An important source of new knowledge is the transfer of unit level experience to headquarters, a process referred to as reverse knowledge flows. Such knowledge flows are fraught with difficulty as formal mechanisms often break down due to diverging business interests of unit and headquarters managers. This study brings together research on knowledge stickiness and autonomous action to provide a new avenue for understanding reverse knowledge flows. By drawing on an exploratory study of a franchise network, we provide an insight into how autonomous action reduces initiation stickiness but potentially increases implementation stickiness. Our analysis suggests that the role of autonomous action for reverse knowledge flows is moderated by unit managers’ resource expectations that emerge as a result of autonomous action. Exploring the interplay of autonomous action and knowledge stickiness provides new explanatory means for understanding reverse knowledge flows in replicator organizations.