Boyer, Eric J. 2016. "Identifying a knowledge management approach for public-private partnerships." Public Performance and Management Review 40.1 158-180.

Type: Non-experimental study

Knowledge user level addressed by the literature: Individual, Organizations, Sectors.

Experience level of reader: Fundamental

Knowledge user(s) to whom the piece of literature may be relevant: Policy makers, Clinicians, Brokers, Manufacturers, Developers, Intermediaries, Users, Advocates, and Researchers.

Setting(s) to which the reported activities/findings are relevant: Community, Federal Lab, Government, Large business, Small business, University.

Format: Peer-reviewed journal article

Annotation: Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are collaborations heavily reliant on knowledge transfer (KT). Projects using KT presuppose that there is a method or practice superior to the status quo which, if discovered, will bring real life benefits. Knowledge management requires a balance of standardizing knowledge into transferrable information, and preserving contextual and experience-based details. These partnerships create knowledge management challenges for the working group and respective individual organizations.

This article uses the Commercial Devices and Services version of the NtK Model

Barriers:

• Private sector partners must manage use of the developed product over time.
  Qualitative research study
  Occurrences within the Model: NtK 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 9.1, 9.2 KTA 7.D
• Private sector partners have to repay any investors either directly from users or with subsidies from public partnerships.
  Qualitative research study
  Occurrences within the Model: NTK 4.12, 7.3, 7.7
• Private sector values like profitability are in direct conflict with some public institutions values like openness.
  Qualitative research study
  Occurrences within the Model: NTK 7.3,4.4 KTA 6.A
• Public sector organizations face an information imbalance because field experts choose more lucrative private sector positions.
  Qualitative research study
  Occurrences within the Model: NTK 3.1, 4.10
• Winning public support for partnership projects is a challenge because the projects are secretive by nature.
  Qualitative research study
  Occurrences within the Model: NTK 3.4, 4.9

Carriers:              

• Risks and responsibilities are shared under private-public partnerships.                
  Qualitative research study
  Occurrences within the Model: NtK 4.3, KTA 6.A
• Possessing prior related knowledge aids the future absorptive capacity of a knowledge user group.  
  Qualitative research study
  Occurrences within the Model: NTK 3.8, 3.9, KTA 7.C