The knowledge of employees is becoming an increasingly emphasised competitive advantage of organisations, particular when the knowledge of individuals is transferred into collective knowledge, and thus builds on, complements and contributes to the development of an organisation. On the other hand, the salaries of the majority of salesmen have an individual, variable component that depends on sales results, which could pose a significant obstacle to the transfer of knowledge.
In my master’s thesis, I used a sample of eight interviewees in an attempt to determine to what extent internal competition and the fight for every customer are present in the transfer of knowledge, and to what extent the collective conscious and efforts aimed at the development of an entire car dealership play a role in that process. I answered six research questions, and thus addressed awareness about the transfer of knowledge amongst salesmen, identified the types of knowledge that are transferred, factors that promote that transfer, the ways in which knowledge is transferred and the effect it has on the performance of salesmen. I also determined whether the structure and scope of the transfer of knowledge is in any way linked to the performance of the car dealerships studied.
The results were surprising, as they indicated that the transfer of knowledge within the studied sample flows on a daily basis, and without expectations of additional remuneration by salesmen. Nevertheless, all of the results were not encouraging. My study indicated that the type of knowledge transferred is more important than the quantity of knowledge transferred. Today, that means the knowledge required for operational tasks, while knowledge that focuses on innovation and development, and thus a competitive advantage, is practically imperceptible.
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