Knowledge transfer and the learning process in Spanish wineries

Resumen

Nowadays, knowledge transfer and creation are considered essential tools that organizations should utilize to create value. A great number of authors have agreed that the origin of knowledge is embedded in the learning process. Following this line of thought, a proposal is advanced for a model on knowledge creation, based on organizational learning. This model is based on two processes: (1) the development of learning environments, which is performed by means of specific interventions in the learning process; and (2) the impulse for knowledge interaction, achieved by means of knowledge exchange or transfer within the organization (among workers) and between organizations (through cooperation agreements). This paper analyses the processes of knowledge transfer within companies operating in the Rioja wine sector, in two selected areas. Results show, on the one hand, an increase in human capital in the Rioja wineries in recent years, and, on the other, the poor performance of cooperation agreements between wineries. © 2016 Operational Research Society Ltd.