DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE IN THE AERONAUTICAL AND AEROSPACE SECTOR IN PORTUGAL - IMPLEMENTATION OF A PILOT-STUDY OF THE NASA DOD AEROSPACE KNOWLEDGE DIFFUSION RESEARCH-PROJECT

This article presents the result of a test of a research instrument that has been widely used to assess how knowledge is diffused in the aerospace industries of NATO and other countries. Normally, the instrument is used in its original English version and as a self-completed mail questionnaire. In this test, the instrument was translated into Portugese, and additional information was collected through unstructured telephone interviews and observation of respondents answering the questionnaire. The conclusion is that when instruments are used across different cultures, even within the same industry sectors, it is necessary first to validate the use of the instrument in those cultures.