The Impact of Complexity on Knowledge Transfer in Manufacturing Networks
The Impact of Complexity on Knowledge Transfer in Manufacturing Networks
复制标题
复杂性对制造网络知识转移的影响
DOI：
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发表时间：
2014
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
E. Lucas
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Markus Lang;Patricia Deflorin;H. Dietl;E. Lucas
协调多工厂制造网络内的知识转移是一项具有挑战性的任务。使用计算模型，我们检查何时有利于在中央单位（“主导工厂”）内创建生产知识，并将其转移到地理上分散的工厂。我们证明，知识转移会在由于每个工厂的适应较少而产生的积极成本节省效应与由于知识转移本身成本高昂而产生的消极转移成本效应之间产生权衡。生产过程的复杂性调节了知识转移的绩效影响，因为它决定了这两种影响的相对强度。对于复杂度较低的生产过程，知识转移可以产生卓越的网络性能。这里，存在知识转移的最佳程度，因此，完整的知识转移并不是性能最大化。对于中、高复杂度的生产过程，通过知识转移，性能会降低而不是增强，因此最好不要将任何知识从主导工厂转移到工厂。当我们分析制造网络内的知识转移时，我们的结果可以转移到由知识发送和接收单元组成的其他设置。
Coordinating knowledge transfer within multi‐plant manufacturing networks is a challenging task. Using a computational model, we examine when it is beneficial to create production knowledge within a central unit, the “lead factory,” and transfer it to geographically dispersed plants. We demonstrate that the knowledge transfer generates a trade‐off between a positive cost‐saving effect due to fewer adaptations in each plant, and a negative transfer cost effect due to the costly knowledge transfer itself. The complexity of the production process moderates the performance implications of the knowledge transfer because it determines the relative strength of these two effects. For production processes with low complexity, knowledge transfer can engender superior network performance. Here, an optimal extent of knowledge transfer exists, and thus, a complete knowledge transfer is not performance maximizing. For production processes with medium and high levels of complexity, performance is reduced rather than enhanced through knowledge transfer so that it is optimal not to transfer any knowledge from the lead factory to the plants. While we analyze knowledge transfer within a manufacturing network, our results are transferable to other settings that consist of a knowledge sending and receiving unit.