Abstract Municipal water and wastewater utility systems are experiencing several issues related to an aging workforce. Of particular importance, is the technical knowledge drain generated when the experienced operational workforce retires. It is important to transfer their knowledge into the organization for the future success of system operability. Recent investigations highlight the importance of, and the methods for, knowledge transfer, however, the current literature does not include significant information on the municipal utility industry. The objective of this descriptive research is to assess how municipal utility organizations transfer their operational knowledge. A qualitative case study research approach was used to evaluate operational knowledge transfer in six municipal utility organizations. The results indicate that five methods are commonly used in municipal utility organizations; however, there are some methods that are used more than others depending on the operational learning situation. Engineering managers can use this paper as a guide in the design of custom knowledge management programs in municipal utility organizations. These results can inform future investigations in the areas of knowledge management and knowledge transfer.

中文翻译：

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市政供水和污水处理组织的知识转移

摘要 市政供水和废水公用事业系统正面临与劳动力老龄化相关的几个问题。特别重要的是，经验丰富的运营人员退休后产生的技术知识流失。将他们的知识转移到组织中对于系统可操作性的未来成功非常重要。最近的调查强调了知识转移的重要性和方法，然而，目前的文献并不包括市政公用事业行业的重要信息。这项描述性研究的目的是评估市政公用事业组织如何转移其运营知识。使用定性案例研究方法来评估六个市政公用事业组织的运营知识转移。结果表明，五种方法在市政公用事业组织中普遍使用；但是，根据操作学习情况，有些方法比其他方法使用得更多。工程经理可以将本文用作市政公用事业组织中定制知识管理程序设计的指南。这些结果可以为知识管理和知识转移领域的未来调查提供信息。