International Knowledge Transfer - an engineering perspective
- Paper number
IAC-08.D5.2.9
- Author
Mr. Patrick Hambloch, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Germany
- Year
2008
- Abstract
This paper deals with international Knowledge Transfer from an engineering standpoint. Rather than only focussing on Knowledge Management in general it is pointed out what an engineer can gain from it and what problems arise in this domain. Apart from that some requirements on the technical side are also described. The advantages of global cooperation can be noticed especially in the engineering department. Here a multitude of lessons can be learned from international partners who encountered the same problems or dealt with similar situations or simply can give advices. In particular time can be saved which is crucial for every project. Nonetheless there are obstacles in this terrain and have to be resolved. Not every aspect of a project or every experience can be shared as no space agency or company is willing to disclose every piece of information. Mostly because providing too many details about projects or work in general would lead to revealing production techniques or other secrets which could help a competitor. Furthermore a lot of system engineers may not be willing to accept data they can not validate themselves. Evidently one of the biggest challenges may be the language barrier as well as differences in culture. The choice of the right technological means is not trivial as basically every space agency or company works with different software. Also other aspects in this domain play a major role and might be able to deal with some of the problems mentioned before. The paper takes a look at the expectations or reservations engineers have about international Knowledge Transfer. It is described what the advantages are, in which situations knowledge from the outside may help and what kind of data is to be exchanged and how it should be presented. On the other hand it is pointed out what problems may arise and how they might be solved.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.D5.2.9.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.