Non-Teachability and Contextual Idiosyncrasy: Sources of Knowledge Replication and Imitation Differentials

Knowledge that is easily replicated may also be easily imitated. This study aims to address the seemingly familiar yet unanswered question: how can a firm facilitate internal knowledge replication while minimizing the likelihood of imitation by outsiders? A theoretical framework is proposed, highlighting the non-teachability of knowledge and contextual idiosyncrasy as two key constructs. The study proposes that, in order to increase gap between internal replicators and outside imitators, firms should first increase non-teachability to a moderate level by combining objectifiability and intricacy of sub-parts; then, firms should leverage contextual idiosyncrasy-stemming from a combination of resource, capability, and organizational mechanism. this study develops a theoretical framework that addresses the replication-imitation dilemma by treating replication and imitation simultaneously, reaching into the substance of what was previously considered as a black box.