Hina Mehreen, Stewart Clegg, Hussain Gulzar Rammal
Purpose The study aims to explore how sensemaking and sensegiving interactions between knowledge sources and recipients influence knowledge management activities in multinational enterprises. Design/methodology/approach The study conceptualizes an effective and efficient cross-border knowledge transfer process based on the knowledge-based view of the firm and organizational knowledge creation theory. The attractiveness of the knowledge source, the recipient’s learning intention and the quality of their relationship are the processes that characterize their interplay. Findings When well-aligned, the attractiveness of the knowledge source, the recipient’s learning intention and the quality of the relationship enable process sensegiving and sensemaking to be more closely aligned, resulting in a better translation of tacit knowledge. Originality/value Challenges in transferring technologies faced by knowledge-intensive organizations and the translation of tacit knowledge in MNEs are addressed, providing valuable insights to the literature on knowledge management and technology transfer.