Examining the factors influencing cross-project knowledge transfer: An empirical study of IT services firms in China

•We use a mixed method to examine cross-project knowledge transfer.•The impacts of source and recipient project capabilities and governance differ.•Project similarity influences knowledge transfer, contingent upon knowledge type.•Time urgency of source project hinders the cross-project knowledge transfer.•The dual relationship between projects complicates their knowledge transfer.

Despite the significance of the knowledge initiatives at project level, our understanding of knowledge transfer between projects and of its influencing factors remains limited. Drawing on knowledge transfer and project management literature, we develop a theoretical model positing that cross-project knowledge transfer is influenced by project teams' transfer capabilities, project teams' relationship, project task context and project team context. We adopt mixed methods and empirically test the model in the context of Chinese IT services firms. Our data analysis reveals that cross-project knowledge transfer is affected differently by the capabilities of and governance efforts by the source and recipient teams. Our study concludes that project-based organizations and project managers will be able to better manage the complexity of cross-project knowledge transfer if they simultaneously consider the multiple dimensions of factors underlying the complex knowledge transfer process and be mindful of the source and recipient of knowledge in the project setting.