Cross‐generational knowledge flows in edge organizations

Purpose – This paper seeks to investigate how cross‐generational biases affect tacit knowledge transfer and resulting knowledge flows in edge organizations.Design/methodology/approach – The paper applied hypothesis testing χ2s, as well as ethnographic analysis.Findings – Cross‐generational biases affect tacit knowledge transfer and resulting knowledge flows in edge‐like organizations. Other factors, such as trust, loyalty, work ethics, and family values, also affect knowledge flows.Research limitations/implications – Sample size should be increased for future work, as well as applying the results in a defense/military environment.Practical implications – The results of the paper should influence succession planning, human capital strategy, and knowledge management efforts in edge‐like organizations.Originality/value – The work is quite novel as it integrates inter‐generational differences, tacit knowledge transfer, and knowledge flows in edge organizations.