Successful replication of knowledge in the growth of service organizations: evidence from Spanish hotel chains

Purpose This paper aims to identify the main factors affecting the success of the knowledge replication process in service firms when new units/outlets are created or acquired. Design/methodology/approach The quantitative approach of the study is based on a survey to the first general managers of new hotels integrated in Spanish hotel chains that implement a strategy of knowledge replication. Findings Transfer experience in the region; compatibility between the underlying cultural context of the knowledge and the recipients' culture; recipients' absorptive capacity; source's and recipients' motivation; and lack of adaptation in the transfer routines are key factors that influence several aspects of knowledge replication success in service firms. Research limitations/implications From an academic point of view, this work identifies the determinants of success in replication processes. Moreover, two dimensions in knowledge replication success have been identified: a functional dimension and an economic one. Industry and survey limitations must be considered. Practical implications Organizations that face a growth process where they want to replicate their corporate knowledge should consider several aspects that seem to be determinants of success in those projects. Originality/value Despite the prevalence of replication-based growth strategies in the service sector, there is a lack of research analyses about this phenomenon in the academic literature. The empirical-based research on knowledge transfer and service firms' growth is scarce and fragmented. This work provides an integrated view of factors affecting knowledge replication success in new organizational units from an empirical quantitative approach.