Knowledge transfer processes for different experience levels of knowledge recipients at an offshore technical support center

Understanding and managing knowledge transfer for customers in IT adoption

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to advance information technology (IT) adoption research and practice by investigating the process of knowledge transfer (KT) undertaken by suppliers of IT innovations. The authors expound the intricacies of formal and informal mechanisms of the KT initiative that aims at augmenting the absorptive capacity (ACAP) of potential IT adopters with the objective of increasing the likelihood of adoption of new IT products or services.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors draw on case studies of ten IT suppliers to build on the limited research on KT for customers in IT adoption. The authors focus on the for customer type of KT from the standpoint of the IT supplier firm.

Findings

The authors’ results show that complexity of the IT product or service increases the reliance on formal and systematic KT initiatives. This paper also shows that there is a required minimum threshold level of initial customers’ ACAP in order for the KT initiative to be worthwhile for the supplier, especially for those offering complex IT products and services. However, IT suppliers were found to limit their reliance on KT when they believed that customers that became too knowledgeable might threaten the innovation’s diffusion.

Research limitations/implications

Since the authors’ case firms represented innovation suppliers, future studies should investigate customer-supplier dyads to explore and integrate the customer’s perspective in the analysis of the KT process. To this end, longitudinal studies would also provide immense insights into the KT process and how it evolves over time.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this paper consists of illuminating the workings of KT initiatives aimed at existing and potential customers from the standpoint of the IT innovation supplier. By focusing on the for customers aspect of KT, this paper advances the authors’ understanding of why and how IT suppliers should resort to formal vs informal KT mechanisms. The authors’ proposed framework also integrates and shows the roles of customers’ ACAP, complexity of the IT innovation, and tacitness of the knowledge transferred to the customers.

Utilising a systematic knowledge management based system to optimise project management operations in oil and gas organisations

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the efficacy of knowledge management (KM) based systems and best practices that could be used to address operational issues in the oil and gas sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Given little was known empirically about the strategies and practices which contribute to improved performance, innovation and continuous improvement in the oil and gas sector qualitative method was used. Semi-structured interviews were used to derive senior managers’ constructs of project delivery efficiency and KM based systems. The interviews were analysed through the use of a qualitative analysis software package NUDIST NVivoTM. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Validity and reliability were achieved by first assessing the plausibility in terms of already existing knowledge on some of the operational issues raised by participants.

Findings

These were synthesised into a framework capturing seven well-defined stages. All these steps emerged as being related; they are comprised of independent variables. These steps were found to comprise of knowledge management technology approaches, knowledge management people approaches, KM strategies and value enhancing practices.

Research limitations/implications

Although the findings are pertinent to oil and gas organisations, it will be important to conduct follow-up research validating the potential for using the results of this study to establish frameworks for knowledge and information management in different organisations and contexts. This will provide not only data about the validity of the framework in generic terms but will also generate additional data on the application of KM strategy.

Practical implications

As shown in this study, successful KM based systems requires the aligning of business strategy, technology for KM, project management operations with an enterprise knowledge-sharing culture. Such sharing requires managing the behaviour of project personnel such that knowledge transfer becomes part of the organisation’s norm.

Social implications

The implementation of KM based systems requires deliberate planning and action to create the conditions for success and put in place the strategy, leadership, goals, process, skills, systems, issue resolution, and structure to direct and exploit the dynamic nature of project work. The strategies proposed in this research cannot be expected to resolve all KM issues in the oil and gas sector. However, their use defines an approach that is superior to the traditional approaches typically adopted and consequently merits far wider application.

Originality/value

The proposed framework presents a better way of optimising the performance of project-based operations thus enabling oil and gas organisations to reform their poor performance on projects and empower them to better manage emerging cultural challenges in their future projects. Reflecting on their experiences, the participants confirmed that the proposed KM framework and its seven well-defined stages were central to the effectiveness of KM in oil and gas operations. Although the scope of this research was restricted to projects in Nigeria and the UK, the geographical focus of this research does not invalidate these results with respect to other countries. The fact is that the oil and gas sector globally shares some common fundamental characteristics.

Knowledge Transfer from International Consultants to Local Partners

Inspired by the fact that local partners acquire substantial knowledge from foreign consultants, an empirical study has been conducted on four metro construction projects in Vietnam to assess the knowledge transfer in practice. The process and results have been recorded in this article. A two-stage model has been developed and tested by using data obtained from 130 respondents. The first stage demonstrates that there are at least six factors affecting the knowledge transfer from foreign consultants to local partners. The second stage shows that acquired knowledge helps to improve the performance of the local partners. In addition to well-known determinants such as the transferor's willingness, capacity to transfer, the learner's intent and capability to learn, the results of the study provide the evidence to confirm the important roles of knowledge-related factors and environment-related factors. Furthermore, this study enriches the literature on knowledge transfer by adding a look into a specific context of consulting services.

Accelerating tacit knowledge building of client-facing consultants

Purpose

This paper aims to examine factors which influence how tacit knowledge is built and applied by client-facing consultants.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative methods (interviews, thematic analysis) were used to gather and analyse data from 15 consultants in an agricultural extension context.

Findings

Twenty-six factors about how tacit knowledge is built and applied to action emerged, and are presented grouped into four areas: tacit knowledge needed to be successful; how tacit knowledge is presently built; challenges in turning knowledge into action; and ways that building tacit knowledge might be better supported by the organization.

Practical implications

How the building of tacit knowledge can be accelerated for new organizational members will be of interest to those not only in agricultural extension, but more generally to those managers in organizations who must design and implement training and mentoring programmes for those who support customers and users of their products and services.

Originality/value

The findings provide insight into the mechanisms of building tacit knowledge in client-facing consultants. The experience-based perceptions about effective knowledge-building processes and strategies may contribute to more effective intake and training programmes for consultants.

Benchmarking supply chains by analyzing technology transfer critical barriers using AHP approach

Purpose

– Technology transfer becoming an important area especially in developing and less developed countries. The purpose of this paper is to address issue of supply chains’ benchmarking based upon their capability to mange technology transfer critical barriers mitigation efforts toward making technology transfer process implementation successful.

Design/methodology/approach

– The present paper is based on two research stages. Initially, extensive literature review has been made to identify critical barriers. In total, 20 technology transfer critical barriers have been identified from literature review and categorized in to six criteria. In second stage, analytics hierarchy process has been utilized to rank the critical barriers of technology transfer in supply chain and provide a benchmarking framework.

Findings

– Political barriers (PB) have been analyzed most significant criteria of critical barriers to technology transfer followed by socio-cultural barriers (SO) and economic barriers (EB). “Political instability,” “Difficulty in transfer and diffusion,” “Too expensive,” “Inappropriate/incompetent technology and resource wastage in technologies imported,” “Inactive role of SC members and resistance to change” and “Management attitude” have been found most hindering barrier in their respective category/criterion of technology transfer barriers.

Research limitations/implications

– Scope of the present study has been limited to propose framework to benchmark supply chains by analyzing 20 critical barriers of technology transfer grouped in to six dimensions using analytical hierarchy approach based on “ratings provided by experts,” which may be biased.

Practical implications

– Benchmarking process has been proposed to calculate value of total of overall weights to a particular supply chain named as “Technology Transfer Barriers Mitigation Index (TTBMI)” useful to present capability of supply chains to manage technology transfer barriers by a single numeric value. From “provider” developed county’s view point, present benchmarking framework may be further applied to compare developing countries’ ability to absorb and diffuse new technology.

Originality/value

– Benchmarking procedure has been dealt with using well-established methodology- analytical hierarchy process toward providing single numeric value index (TTBMI) indicating ability of supply chains to manage/mitigate technology transfer barriers.

Exploring the impact of empowering leadership on knowledge sharing, absorptive capacity and team performance in IT service

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the mechanism through which empowering leadership of a team leader might influence the team performance in IT service.

Design/methodology/approach

– The data of 315 individuals collected from 85 different IT projects through online survey is used to empirically test the hypotheses.

Findings

– The results confirm that team leader′s empowering leadership raises the level of knowledge sharing among team members and increase the absorptive capacity of the team, and lead to better team performance.

Research limitations/implications

– This research theoretically presented and demonstrated the middle- and long-term impacts of empowering leadership resulting from the development of absorptive capacity as the effects of knowledge sharing in an IT project team are produced through absorptive capacity.

Practical implications

– The findings indicate that more effective in increasing the performance of IT project teams can be to strengthen empowering leadership than to promote traditional charisma or directive leadership. Knowledge sharing at a team level has the direct effect of improving project performance by providing information and knowledge regarding the related project, but on the other hand it contributes to making stronger the path of associating absorptive capacity with project performance.

Originality/value

– The impact of empowering leaderships on team performance of IT project has received less research attention. Little prior research has carried out such an integrated analysis in IT service context. This study contributes to knowledge management research by identifying a key antecedent of knowledge sharing.