Knowledge Integration at the Middle Level Management within Japanese Firms in Thailand

The transition from an economy based on materials to an economy based on flows of digital information has created considerable challenges for organizations. Thus, knowledge has been recognized by many firms as their source of sustainable competitive advantage and dynamic capability. Due to their strategic position within the organizational hierarchy, middle managers are in an excellent position to leverage firm specific knowledge. However, from a knowledge-based theoretical explanation, middle managers, working in multinational corporations, often experience difficulties in performing their functions because they are unable to adjust to a diverse organizational settings and culture leading to impediments of knowledge integration. How do firms capture, create, and internalize their knowledge? What are the enablers or barriers to the knowledge integration? The aim of this research was to investigate whether organizational cultures play an influential role in determining the perceptions of middle managers on knowledge integration process. It examines both organizational and individual attributes within three Japanese auto-assembly plants in Thailand- Toyota, Mazda, and Isuzu. Interviews with top executives and a survey of 117 middle managers were conducted. The study identified several constructs that showed significant influence on the knowledge integration process within the Japanese firms. It also suggested that appropriate policies and guidelines should be implemented in order to improve the process