During the past decade knowledge has become the key to economic success and thus has been vigorously researched and studied. This has its backdrop in the knowledge-based view of the firm, seeing knowledge as a resource and capability. Consequently knowledge transfer is being paid more and more attention.

There are various levels of knowledge transfer, inter-organizational, intra-organizational and interpersonal. However, regardless of the level one may be engaged, a range of factors such as environment, sender and receiver capability or desire to share knowledge, similarity or lack of it and a many other issues can ease or hinder the transfer of knowledge.

The purpose of this study is to identify and better understand the role of conflict in interpersonal knowledge transfer. This subject is unique in many ways, firstly because it is by nature a very sensitive topic and secondly because it has never been fully studied before. Conflict has usually been identified as a barrier to knowledge transfer and the concept of conflict itself carries a heavy negative connotation. The study is based on 9 semi-structured interviews.

This thesis shows that conflict plays a paradoxical role in knowledge transfer. Conflict can have both a positive or negative influence on knowledge sharing. But its role seems to lean more toward positive than negative. Conflict is positive as it makes the individuals more aware of the problems at hand. Thus fostering and stimulating knowledge transfer as it requires individuals come together to try to solve the problem. Conflict also seems to even work as a medium through which problems can be aired and solutions be found.