Knowledge Flow Barriers and Compliant Digital Governance Paths of Manufacturing IPD from the SECI Perspective: A Benchmark Analysis of Online Platforms

Abstract

Digital knowledge management serves as a core driver of manufacturing firms’ digital transformation and R&D innovation. During digital upgrading, Chinese manufacturers commonly encounter fractured SECI knowledge spirals and stagnant internal knowledge circulation. Extant research largely focuses on cross-firm knowledge collaboration and external knowledge acquisition, yet few systematically investigate internal knowledge transformation bottlenecks within manufacturing Integrated Product Development (IPD) workflows from a SECI perspective. Taking the SECI knowledge spiral as the core framework, this paper integrates the Knowledge Navigator Model (KNM), the people–organizational process–technology barrier framework, and the multi-level Context-Mechanism-Outcome (CMO) analytical framework. Through qualitative benchmarking, it classifies manufacturers into four knowledge management maturity tiers, identifies three surface-level barriers, and untangles root causes across individual, organizational, and industry (external governance) levels. By benchmarking knowledge circulation mechanisms of online platforms and considering industrial data compliance constraints, this paper constructs a tripartite collaborative digital governance framework covering individuals, enterprises and governments. Three core barriers are identified: low practitioners’ willingness to share knowledge, inadequate corporate knowledge management strategies and formal institutions, and poor compatibility of digital tools. Hierarchical industrial data control constitutes a key external constraint. While online platforms’ automatic data logging and human-machine collaboration provide feasible references, such models cannot be directly transplanted to confidential manufacturing R&D scenarios. This paper extends SECI to manufacturing IPD, enriches multi-layer R&D knowledge flow analysis, and offers practical guidance for firms to build hierarchical compliant digital systems and internal knowledge incentives amid industrial data regulation.