Tacit Knowledge as a Source of Competitive Advantage in the National Basketball Association

Abstract

In this study, we investigate a central tenet of the resource-based view of the firm舒that tacit knowledge often lies at the core of sustainable competitive advantage舒and attempt to articulate it with greater theoretical precision than has been done previously. Using data from the National Basketball Association, we find support for a predicted positive relationship between shared team experience and team performance that declines as shared experience grows, eventually becoming negative. The implications of this study for non-sports-related firms are discussed along with suggestions for future research.