Transferring good practice beyond organizational borders: lessons from transferring an entrepreneurship programme

Abstract

This paper focuses on how a 'best practice' policy initiative from one region can be transferred to other recipient systems. It examines how an entrepreneurship programme from Linköping has been successfully adopted by eight other regions throughout Sweden and finds that transferring 'best practice' is dependent on a number of preconditions in respect to the "sender's" and the "recipient's" system, as well as the interaction between these two systems. For instance, both sides need to ensure an openness to continue the learning process and adapting the knowledge to be transferred to local conditions. It also takes a long-term commitment by both parties which derives not only from the role of institutions, but also from enthusiastic individuals who drive the transfer process and who sustainably link the systems after the initial transferring of the best practice policy initiative.