DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Knowledge Management with IS/IT Practice in Organizations: A Multilevel Perspective

  • Tae Hun Kim (e-Business at Ajou School of Business, Ajou University)
  • Received : 2022.01.06
  • Accepted : 2022.03.07
  • Published : 2022.03.31

Abstract

This paper is motivated by social influence theory implying the multilevel nature of knowledge management (KM) in an organization. Organizational knowledge is generated and distributed by individuals from different groups across organizational boundaries. Its transfers are supported by IS/IT practice, i.e., the individual and collective use of the technology available in the organization. I propose a multilevel perspective to explain how IS/IT practice supports multilevel KM capabilities to manage organizational knowledge successfully and how the effectiveness of multilevel KM capabilities expands into the improvement of multilevel task-related organizational performance. The multilevel KM theory extends the knowledge-based view of the firm by describing the dynamic process through which strategic values of knowledge are generated by IS/IT practice across the organizational levels. This paper also discusses multilevel insights on the strategic value of organizational learning based on the social context of organizations.

Keywords

References

  1. Agarwal, R., and Lucas, H. C. Jr. (2005). The information systems identity crisis: Focusing on high-visibility and high-impact research. MIS Quarterly, 29(3), 381-398. https://doi.org/10.2307/25148689
  2. Alavi, M., and Leidner, D. E. (2001). Review: Knowledge management and knowledge management systems: Conceptual foundations and research issues. MIS Quarterly, 25(1), 107-136. https://doi.org/10.2307/3250961
  3. Argyris, C., and Schon, D. A. (1978). Organizational learning: A theory of action perspective. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
  4. Ash, J. (1998). Managing knowledge gives power. Communication World, 15(3), 23-26.
  5. Barney, J. B. (1986). Strategic factor markets: Expectations, luck, and business strategy. Management Science, 32(10), 1231-1241. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.32.10.1231
  6. Barney, J. B. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99-120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108
  7. Brown, J. S., and Duguid, P. (1998). Organizing knowledge. California Management Review, 40(3), 90-111. https://doi.org/10.2307/41165945
  8. Burcharth, A. L. A., and Fosfuri, A. (2015). Not invented here: How institutionalized socialization practices affect the formation of negative attitudes toward external knowledge. Industrial and Corporate Change, 24(2), 281-305. https://doi.org/10.1093/icc/dtu018
  9. Burton-Jones, A., and Gallivan, M. J. (2007). Toward a deeper understanding of system usage in organizations: A multilevel perspective. MIS Quarterly, 31(4), 657-679. https://doi.org/10.2307/25148815
  10. Burton-Jones, A., and Straub, D. W. (2006). Reconceptualizing system usage: An approach and empirical test. Information Systems Research, 17(3), 228-246. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.1060.0096
  11. Cohen, W. M., and Levinthal, D. A. (1990). Absorptive capacity: A new perspective on learning and innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35(1), 128-152. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393553
  12. Collis, D. J. (1994). Research note: How valuable are organizational capabilities? Strategic Management Journal, 15(Winter Special), 143-152. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250150910
  13. Conner, K. R. (1991). A historical comparison of resource-based theory and five schools of thought within industrial organization economics: Do we have a new theory of the firm? Journal of Management, 17(1), 121-154. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700109
  14. Crossan, M. M., Lane, H. W., and White, R. E. (1999). An organizational learning framework: From intuition to institution. Academy of Management Review, 24(3), 522-537. https://doi.org/10.2307/259140
  15. Dayan, R., and Evans, S. (2006). KM your way to CMMI. Journal of Knowledge Management, 10(1), 69-80. https://doi.org/10.1108/13673270610650111
  16. De Clercq, D., and Dimov, D. (2008). Internal knowledge development and external knowledge access in venture capital investment performance. Journal of Management Studies, 45(3), 585-612. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2007.00747.x
  17. DeCarolis, D. M., and Deeds, D. L. (1999). The impact of stocks and flows of organizational knowledge on firm performance: An empirical investigation of the biotechnology industry. Strategic Management Journal, 20(10), 953-968. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199910)20:10<953::AID-SMJ59>3.0.CO;2-3
  18. DeLone, W. H., and McLean, E. R. (1992). Information systems success: The quest for the dependent variable. Information Systems Research, 3(1), 60-95. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.3.1.60
  19. DeNisi, A. S., Hitt, M. A., and Jackson, S. E. (2003). The knowledge-based approach to sustainable competitive advantage. In S.E. Jackson, M.A. Hitt & A.S. DeNisi (Eds.), Managing knowledge for sustained competitive advantage: Designing strategies for effective human resource management. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, 3-33.
  20. Denison, D. R., and Mishra, A. K. (1995). Toward a theory of organizational culture and effectiveness. Organization Science, 6(2), 204-223. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.6.2.204
  21. Dierickx, I., and Cool, K. (1989). Asset stock accumulation and sustainability of competitive advantage. Management Science, 35(12), 1504-1511. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.35.12.1504
  22. Dyer, J. H., and Singh, H. (1998). The relational view: Cooperative strategy and sources of interorganizational competitive advantage. Academy of Management Review, 23(4), 660-679. https://doi.org/10.2307/259056
  23. Gold, A. H., Malhotra, A., and Segars, A. H. (2001). Knowledge management: An organizational capabilities perspective. Journal of Management Information Systems, 18(1), 185-214. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2001.11045669
  24. Gopal, C., and Gagnon, J. (1995). Knowledge, information, learning and the IS manager. Computerworld, 29(25), 1-7.
  25. Grant, R. M. (1991). The resource-based theory of competitive advantage: Implications for strategy formulation. California Management Review, 33(3), 114-135. https://doi.org/10.2307/41166664
  26. Grant, R. M. (1996a). Prospering in dynamically-competitive environments: Organizational capability as knowledge integration. Organization Science, 7(4), 375-387. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.7.4.375
  27. Grant, R. M. (1996b). Toward a knowledge-based theory of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 17(Winter Special), 109-122. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250171110
  28. Griliches, Z. (1990). Patent statistics as economic indicators: A survey. Journal of Economic Literature, 28(4), 1661-1707.
  29. Grohaug, K., and Nordhaug, O. (1992). Strategy and competence in firms. European Management Journal, 10(4), 438-444.
  30. Haider, S., and Mariotti, F. (2020). The speed of learning and learning forces. Knowledge and Process Management, 27(2), 93-102. https://doi.org/10.1002/kpm.1621
  31. Heisig, P. (2002). European guide to good practice in knowledge management. Berlin, Germany: Fraunhofer IPK.
  32. Hibbard, J. (1997). Knowing what we know. Information Week, 653(October 20), 46-64.
  33. Huber, G. P. (1982). Organizational information systems: Determinants of their performance and behavior. Management Science, 28(2), 138-155. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.28.2.138
  34. Hwang, E. H., Singh, P. V., and Argote, L. (2015). Knowledge sharing in online communities: Learning to cross geographic and hierarchical boundaries. Organization Science, 26(6), 1593-1611. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2015.1009
  35. Jennex, M. E., and Olfman, L. (2002). Organizational memory/knowledge effects on productivity, a longitudinal study. In Proceedings of the 35th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS).
  36. Jennex, M. E., Olfman, L., and Addo, T. B. A. (2003). The need for an organizational knowledge management strategy. In Proceedings of the 36th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS).
  37. Kankanhalli, A., Tan, B. C. Y., and Wei, K. -K. (2005). Contributing knowledge to electronic knowledge repositories: An empirical investigation. MIS Quarterly, 29(1), 113-143. https://doi.org/10.2307/25148670
  38. Kelman, H. C. (1958). Compliance, identification, and internalization: Three processes of attitude change. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2(1), 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1177/002200275800200106
  39. Kim, T. H., Choi, B., Lee, J. -N., and Sambamurthy, V. (2021). Portfolio effects of knowledge management strategies on firm performance: Complementarity or substitutability? Information & Management, 58(4), 103468.
  40. Kim, T. H., Lee, J. -N., Chun, J. U., and Benbasat, I. (2014). Understanding the effect of knowledge management strategies on knowledge management performance: A contingency perspective. Information & Management, 51(4), 398-416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2014.03.001
  41. Kim, T. H., Wimble, M., and Sambamurthy, V. (2018). Disaggregation of the IT capital effects on firm performance: Empirical evidence from an IT asset portfolio perspective. European Journal of Information Systems, 27(4), 449-469. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41303-017-0062-1
  42. Lee, S. M., and Hong, S. (2002). An enterprise-wide knowledge management system infrastructure. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 102(1), 17-25. https://doi.org/10.1108/02635570210414622
  43. Lepak, D. P., and Snell, S. A. (1999). The human resource architecture: Toward a theory of human capital allocation and development. Academy of Management Review, 24(1), 31-48. https://doi.org/10.2307/259035
  44. Levinthal, D. A., and March, J. G. (1993). The myopia of learning. Strategic Management Journal, 14(Winter Special), 95-112. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250141009
  45. Levitt, B., and March, J. G. (1988). Organizational learning. Annual Review of Sociology, 14(1), 319-340. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.so.14.080188.001535
  46. Lu, Y., Singh, P. V., and Sun, B. (2017). Is a core-periphery network good for knowledge sharing? A structural model of endogenous network formation on a crowdsourced customer support forum. MIS Quarterly, 41(2), 607-628. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2017/41.2.12
  47. Malhotra, Y., and Galletta, D. (2005). A multidimensional commitment model of volitional systems adoption and usage behavior. Journal of Management Information Systems, 22(1), 117-151. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2003.11045840
  48. March, J. G. (1991). Exploration and exploitation in organizational learning. Organization Science, 2(1), 71-87. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2.1.71
  49. Nahapiet, J., and Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational advantage. Academy of Management Review, 23(2), 242-266. https://doi.org/10.2307/259373
  50. Nonaka, I. (1994). A dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation. Organization Science, 5(1), 14-37. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.5.1.14
  51. Nonaka, I., and Konno, N. (1998). The concept of "ba": Building a foundation for knowledge creation. California Management Review, 40(3), 40-54. https://doi.org/10.2307/41165942
  52. O'Dell, C., and Grayson, C. J. (1998). If only we knew what we know. California Management Review, 40(3), 154-174. https://doi.org/10.2307/41165948
  53. Offsey, S. (1997). Knowledge management: Linking people to knowledge for bottom line results. Journal of Knowledge Management, 1(2), 113-122. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000004586
  54. Okhuysen, G. A., and Eisenhardt, K. M. (2002). Integrating knowledge in groups: How formal interventions enable flexibility. Organization Science, 13(4), 370-386. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.13.4.370.2947
  55. Penrose, E. T. (1995). The theory of the growth of the firm. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
  56. Pentland, B. T. (1995). Information systems and organizational learning: The social epistemology of organizational knowledge systems. Accounting, Management and Information Technologies, 5(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/0959-8022(95)90011-X
  57. Porter, M. E. (1980). Competitive strategy: Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors. New York, NY: Free Press.
  58. Porter, M. E. (1985). Competitive advantage: Creating and sustaining superior performance. New York, NY: Free Press.
  59. Powell, W. W. (1998). Learning from collaboration: Knowledge and networks in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. California Management Review, 40(3), 228-240. https://doi.org/10.2307/41165952
  60. Pu, J., Liu, Y., Chen, Y., Qiu, L., and Cheng, H. K. (2022). What questions are you inclined to answer? Effects of hierarchy in corporate Q&A communities. Information Systems Research, Forthcoming.
  61. Ravichandran, T., and Lertwongsatien, C. (2005). Effect of information systems resources and capabilities on firm performance: A resource-based perspective. Journal of Management Information Systems, 21(4), 237-276. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2005.11045820
  62. Robertson, M., Swan, J., and Newell, S. (1996). The role of networks in the diffusion of technological innovation. Journal of Management Studies, 33(3), 333-359. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.1996.tb00805.x
  63. Robinson, S. L., and O'Leary-Kelly, A. M. (1998). Monkey see, monkey do: The influence of work groups on the antisocial behavior of employees. Academy of Management Journal, 41(6), 658-672. https://doi.org/10.2307/256963
  64. Ruiz-Mercader, J., Merono-Cerdan, A. L., and Sabater-Sanchez, R. (2006). Information technology and learning: Their relationship and impact on organisational performance in small businesses. International Journal of Information Management, 26(1), 16-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2005.10.003
  65. Rumelt, R. P. (1984). Towards a strategic theory of the firm. In R.B. Lamb (Ed.) Competitive strategic management. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 556-571.
  66. Sedera, D., and Gable, G. G. (2010). Knowledge management competence for enterprise system success. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 19(4), 296-306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2010.10.001
  67. Spender, J. -C. (1996). Making knowledge the basis of a dynamic theory of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 17(Winter Special), 45-62. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250171106
  68. Spender, J. -C., and Grant, R. M. (1996). Knowledge and the firm: Overview. Strategic Management Journal, 17(Winter Special), 5-9. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250171103
  69. Starbuck, W. H., and Hedberg, B. L. T. (1977). Saving an organization from a stagnating environment. In H.B. Thorelli (Ed.) Strategy + structure = performance: The strategic planning imperative. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 249-258.
  70. Sturm, T., Gerlach, J. P., Pumplun, L., Mesbah, N., Peters, F., Tauchert, C., Nan, N., and Buxmann, P. (2021). Coordinating human and machine learning for effective organizational learning. MIS Quarterly, 45(3), 1581-1602.
  71. Szulanski, G., Ringov, D., and Jensen, R. J. (2016). Overcoming stickiness: How the timing of knowledge transfer methods affects transfer difficulty. Organization Science, 27(2), 304-322. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2016.1049
  72. Teece, D. J. (1985). Applying concepts of economic analysis to strategic management. In J.M. Pennings (Ed.) Organizational strategy and change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 35-63.
  73. Teigland, R., and Wasko, M. M. (2003). Integrating knowledge through information trading: Examining the relationship between boundary spanning communication and individual performance. Decision Sciences, 34(2), 261-286. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-5915.02341
  74. Tsoukas, H. (1996). The firm as a distributed knowledge system: A constructionist approach. Strategic Management Journal, 17(Winter Special), 11-25. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250171104
  75. Van den Bosch, F. A. J., Volberda, H. W., and de Boer, M. (1999). Coevolution of firm absorptive capacity and knowledge environment: Organizational forms and combinative capabilities. Organization Science, 10(5), 551-568. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.10.5.551
  76. Vandenbosch, B., and Ginzberg, M. J. (1996). Lotus Notes® and collaboration: Plus ca change. Journal of Management Information Systems, 13(3), 65-81. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.1996.11518134
  77. Wang, Y., Meister, D. B., and Gray, P. H. (2013). Social influence and knowledge management systems use: Evidence from panel data. MIS Quarterly, 37(1), 299-313. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2013/37.1.13
  78. Wernerfelt, B. (1984). A resource-based view of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 5(2), 171-180. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250050207