580 California St., Suite 400
San Francisco, CA, 94104
Key research themes
1. How do firms effectively acquire and utilize external knowledge to gain competitive advantage through strategic alliances and interorganizational relationships?
This theme concentrates on the processes, mechanisms, and challenges associated with acquiring external knowledge from partners, alliances, and other organizations to enhance firm innovation, competitiveness, and learning. It explores how firms approach learning from external sources, the role of interorganizational relationships, the motivations and boundaries influencing knowledge flows, and how knowledge acquisition translates into competitive edge.
Key finding: The study empirically demonstrates that exploration-oriented learning approaches in strategic alliances significantly increase the utilization of external knowledge in internal innovation processes, even when partners'... Read more
Key finding: Through interviews with managers in SMEs, the study shows that knowledge acquisition extends far beyond formal alliances to a diverse set of interorganizational relationships, particularly with suppliers and customers. It... Read more
Key finding: Using grounded theory from a case of a Pakistani-Chinese engineering alliance, the study finds that effective acquisition of both explicit and tacit knowledge from an international partner requires navigating complex... Read more
Key finding: This paper uncovers managerial preferences demonstrating that external knowledge from outsiders is often valued more highly than internal knowledge despite availability differences. It attributes this preference to managerial... Read more
Key finding: Through empirical survey data, the study identifies ten specific knowledge acquisition activities and establishes that most, when performed with technology-enabled methods, positively contribute to organizational... Read more
2. What frameworks and methodologies enable the effective formalization, representation, and transfer of knowledge, including tacit and expert knowledge, within organizations?
This research area focuses on systematic approaches to knowledge acquisition, particularly expert and tacit knowledge, including methods for knowledge formalization, representation models, and the challenges involved in capturing, structuring, and disseminating complex knowledge within organizational settings. It also investigates the role of knowledge representation formats (e.g., hypertext) in enhancing learning and problem-solving.
Key finding: The paper proposes a comprehensive manual knowledge acquisition framework tailored for expert systems, addressing both tacit and explicit knowledge types. It highlights critical steps including knowledge elicitation from... Read more
Key finding: This study develops practical guidelines for acquiring tacit knowledge within organizations, emphasizing the challenges posed by its personal, contextual, and unarticulated nature. The guidelines integrate proven techniques... Read more
Key finding: This research proposes and empirically supports that hypertext-based knowledge representations facilitate the acquisition of more complex, integrated, and expert-like knowledge structures than traditional linear texts. It... Read more
Key finding: The paper develops a domain-specific knowledge acquisition model aimed at capturing and formalizing both explicit and tacit maintenance knowledge within a production company. The model integrates electronic reporting and... Read more
Key finding: This speculative study introduces a symbolic ‘tree of knowledge’ metaphor and a reconceptualized DIKW (Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom) pyramid emphasizing information as a vital dynamic 'sap' in the knowledge... Read more
3. How does social and cognitive extension via outsourcing reshape the nature of practical knowledge acquisition and expertise?
This theme investigates the cognitive and social dynamics involved when individuals or firms acquire know-how through outsourcing, examining how practical knowledge can be socially extended beyond direct personal expertise. It challenges traditional intellectualist views by explaining mechanisms whereby agents can 'outsource' practical knowledge and skill to experts while still possessing genuine know-how, thus expanding the conceptualization of knowledge acquisition in social and organizational contexts.
Key finding: The study reveals that outsourced software development project success critically depends on effective vendor knowledge integration, which is influenced by team identification, requirements ambiguity, and infrastructure... Read more
Key finding: This systematic literature review uncovers distinct internal knowledge transfer types (intra-unit, horizontal, conventional, reverse) within MNCs and identifies key factors influencing transfer effectiveness, such as... Read more