## 1 Introduction
The primary objective of generational handover is to retain critical knowledge and competencies within the organization, thereby supporting its sustainability by preserving the expertise necessary to carry out key organizational activities [32]. It is primarily directed at highly experienced employees approaching retirement [33]. The aim is to ensure that these employees effectively transfer essential competencies, mitigating the risk of losing critical knowledge and skills required for their roles and ultimately contributing to the organization's sustained outcomes [34]. Thus, this research adopts an exploratory, correlation-based approach to investigate the associations among generational handover processes, knowledge management, and organizational knowledge transfer behaviors. General handover processes focus on transferring the critical knowledge of an experienced employee who has been with an organization for years and is approaching retirement [33; 35]. The organization recognizes this employee's knowledge as essential for the functionality of their role and the activities they perform within the organization's value chain [32]. In other words, both their position and expertise are crucial for executing a central function within the organization [36]. For this reason, it is vital for the organization to transfer this knowledge to the employee who will assume the role [37]. This ensures that accumulated knowledge is retained within the organization, safeguarding its continuity and sustainability [9]. Nowadays, organizations face a significant challenge in retaining the knowledge of employees from the baby boomer generation--individuals with specialized knowledge and long tenures--who are planning to retire in the coming years [38]. At the same time, they are grappling with high turnover rates due to talent leakage from employees who are not yet of retirement age [39; 40]. The absence of generational handover processes often results in the loss of critical knowledge from key employees, which can negatively impact organizational functionality and outcomes [41; 42]. Previous studies have analyzed the importance of knowledge transfer for improving employees' knowledge transfer behaviors [43; 44]. Indeed, this study builds upon previous research conducted by [PERSON] et al. [45], which examined the presence of knowledge transfer protocols in organizations. The present study extends that earlier work by incorporating a broader set of organizational variables. Thus, this research differs in terms of the sample location, as it is one of the first investigations conducted in the Basque Autonomous Community (CAPV) concerning generational change processes. Therefore, this research adopts an exploratory, correlational approach to examine how generational handover processes relate to employees' knowledge transfer behaviors. Its relevance stems from highlighting these practices as potential avenues for fostering knowledge transfer within organizations. Furthermore, the findings offer valuable contributions to both practice and academia, enriching organizational knowledge management and providing preliminary empirical evidence for future research. Generalal transfer procedures have a direct impact on employee productivity [46; 47]. One key outcome of implementing such processes is the improvement in the quality of knowledge transfer behaviors among employees [48; 49; 50]. These procedures help organizations identify the key characteristics of a job, the knowledge required to execute tasks, and the resources needed to conduct it [28; 51]. This ensures that employees have clear guidance for executing tasks related to their roles [52; 53]. In turnover cases, generational handover procedures facilitate smoother transitions and quicker integration into new positions [54; 55]. The establishment of formal channels by the organization allows for easier, faster, and more comfortable exchanges of information, fostering both formal and informal interactions [56].