The replication of templates, which are working examples of organizational practices, plays an important role in intraorganzational knowledge transfer. However, remarkably little is known about how templates are created. This exploratory mixed methods research seeks to open up the black box of template creation. Firstly, to understand the characteristics of templates that influence the early adoption of organizational practices. Secondly, to reveal the multi-level processes involved in template formation that impact the introduction of new organizational routines. The chosen context is MNCs where the corporate center first employs pilots to create templates before subsidiary by subsidiary rollout. This research contributes to knowledge transfer theory by illustrating how pilots reduce the degree of stickiness of future knowledge transfer. In addition, the study contributes to institutional theory by showing that pilots can be viewed as frames that mobilize subsidiaries to take action under situations of uncertainty and conflicting institutional pressures.