Apprenticeship and the transfer of technical know-how

This paper is based on a study of apprenticeship, a long renowned institution for transferring technical know-how. Case studies of apprenticeship led us to define know-how as: a commercially viable integration of proficient technique gained by practicing the work process of an expert and contextual knowledge gained by observing and questioning other workers. One implication of this definition is its stress on know-how transfer teams that consist of work process designers, practice tutors, and transfer manager. A second implication calls for explicit planning of know-how adaptation when new technology makes work processes obsolete. A final implication for researchers in technology transfer stresses the integration of individual know-how into community systems that put technology to work.