In an era when knowledge has become one sure source of global competitive advantage, companies are scrambling for ways to link and leverage this knowledge among their globally distributed subsidiaries. In such a scenario, knowledge transfer or knowledge sharing is one vital phenomenon which is drawing the attention of practitioners as well as academicians. This paper intends to unravel the complexities associated with the dynamic and ongoing process that facilitates the transfer and assimilation of knowledge. It relies on intense literature survey and qualitative analysis based on a detailed case study of the knowledge sharing networks created by Siemens, which is one of the most widely acclaimed companies for best practice knowledge management systems. The paper delves into the various aspects of knowledge networking, ranging from the key drivers and major concerns for designing and implementing these systems to the various strategies which make this arduous task possible. It intends to carve out valuable insights for organizations that are looking forward for ways to link and leverage their knowledge assets distributed on a global scale.

The global economic landscape, which is characterized by intense competition and pressing demands of customers at the international level, has left organizations scrambling for ways to achieve global competitive advantage. In such a scenario, companies have come to recognize the importance of their intellectual capital and their ability to link and leverage this knowledge as one sure way to succeed. Various researchers like Davenport and Prusak; Ghoshal and Bartlett; Gupta and Govindarajan have time and again emphasized the need for global organizations to identify, capture and transfer knowledge among their subsidiaries in order to gain an edge over their competitors. Relevant and exclusive knowledge from a company's various subsidiaries, if leveraged effectively, can help organizations achieve strategic benefits like new product development, innovation and better customer relations, etc., thereby reducing the risk of competitive preemption.

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