Best practices of companies and their transfer

Abstract

Learning organization and knowledge-based firm are challenges of the beginning of the 21st century. The new paradigm involves new questions and new tasks. We speak about human capital of the firm and its development, but who is owner of the capital? How can we develop and use the capital effectively and where is the border between individual development and learning of the firm as a complex? How can we measure the contributions of the knowledge development? This contribution can not answer such range of complex questions. The foundation for specific research activities was set by the involvement of Tomas Bata University in Zlin in the Europe Union projects of human resource development. Tomas Bata University in Zlin managed to win a new project within the framework of the Operational Programme for Human Resources Development, for Creating and Testing of a New Programme for Further Education at Universities entitled Work Smarter. Partner of the University in this project is Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Business and Management. The first part of the project was focused on the research of the needs of the enterprises and their employees in HRD and this contribution analyses the first results. The project is focused on the transfer of knowledge among the Czech small and medium enterprises. Universities help to this process with their professional staff and facilities. The mission of this project is to bring up and enforce innovative approaches and methods in Human and Resource Development (HRD) in the Czech small and medium enterprises, to create a “learning environment” and to exercise the concept of lifelong learning in day-to-day practice of our enterprises. The first part of the project was focused on the research of the needs of the enterprises and their employees in HRD and the universities prepared a lot of videos from the enterprises and database of best practices. Then the e-Learning environment was prepared and tested in the specific conditions of the Czech enterprises. The last part of the project is focused on the wide use of the case studies and knowledge. The transfer of knowledge (the best practices) as development of human capital of the firm is important as the cooperation of the research team with top managers of the Czech successful enterprises has confirmed. The workshops helped to create the list of 50 important topics for training of employees. The following selection has chosen 30 core topics and they were offered to employees of randomly chosen small and medium enterprises. The research with employees affirmed that such training is possible and the employees accepted most of the offered topics as contributing both the firm knowledge development and their individual development. The research was focused on the barriers on the recipient’s part; especially the potential lack of motivation and the lack of absorptive capacity. The results of the research confirmed that the motivation of employees is conditioned by the possibility of potential contribution of the training (transferring best practices) for their individual development. The contributions only for the development of the firm knowledge capital are not sufficient for the employee’s motivation.