Leadership, Knowledge Management, and Transactive Memory System in International Technical Assistance: Policy Insights for Entrepreneurial Resilience in Emerging Markets

Abstract

This study examines why Technical Assistance (TA) interventions often fail to foster entrepreneurial resilience in emerging markets, despite substantial expertise and funding. Through a qualitative case study of an African Development Bank export diversification initiative in Lesotho, we analyze how leadership, knowledge management (KM), and transactive memory systems (TMS) shape TA effectiveness. Using participant-observer methods and stakeholder interviews over 16 months, findings reveal that success depends less on formal diagnostics and more on developing shared mental models, collaborative routines, and organizational memory across diverse actors. Fragmented knowledge, weak coordination, and underdeveloped group learning processes constrained the intervention’s sustainability. The originality of this study lies in its empirical analysis of failure dynamics, offering actionable policy insights for redesigning TA programs around adaptive leadership, knowledge transfer, and collaborative learning. Implications are relevant for practitioners, policymakers, and scholars seeking to enhance global development initiatives.