A study of integrated KM in IT support services companies
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/03055721111171573 |
| Date | 16 August 2011 |
| Published date | 16 August 2011 |
| Pages | 232-251 |
| Author | Jayachandra Bairi,B. Murali Manohar,Kumar Kundu |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
A study of integrated KM in IT
support services companies
Jayachandra Bairi
SAIC India, Bangalore, India, and
B. Murali Manohar and Kumar Kundu
VIT Business School, VIT University, Vellore, India
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop and evaluate a good knowledge management (KM)
framework for IT services companies to provide an integrated approach to IT services for efficient
knowledge management.
Design/methodology/approach – The framework is evaluated at three Indian IT organizations
providing global IT services with successful KM programs dedicated to services. Expert interviews
were conducted with senior management involved in the KM programs. Information collected was
used for studying the KM framework implemented by each organization for services and then content
analyzed and evaluated.
Findings – The paper provides evidence of various strategic, technological critical factors
influencing the success of KM programs in IT services companies. Organizations with successful
KM programs typically adapt attrition control measures, rewards and recognitions. Application of key
enabler tools of KM help in robust knowledge management, reducing cost to client, helping companies
to excel better.
Research limitations/implications – Interviews are limited to three large companies in the
Bangalore region. Future in-depth studies across regions, with a mix of medium/large organizations
would benefit from a larger and more diverse sample.
Practical implications – It is suggested that IT services organizations develop specific capabilities
to create knowledge management system (KMS) for productivity benefits and increased profitability.
To provide clear benchmarks for developing these capabilities, mainly from the outsourcing point of
view, a KM framework for IT services is provided.
Originality/value – Integrated KMS is discussed from a unique perspective of IT services by
integrating knowledge management and IT services. The paper also reviews customers’ expectations
from IT service providers. The paper conducts preliminary evaluation of the KM framework for IT
services and provides a broader view for future research opportunities.
Keywords Knowledge management, Knowledge sharing, Knowledge transfer,IT systems,
Knowledge base,India, Technology led strategy,Service industries
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Today’s economy is characterized by a rapid rate of change, globalization and
knowledge-intensive products and services. This makes KM vital to organizations.
The resource-based view of the firm postulates that a firm’s profitability is not only a
function of its market and competitive position but also a function of its internal
capabilities and know-how in combining its resources to deliver products and services
and to enhance organizational performance (Alavi, 2000).
Knowledgeis embedded in multipleentities within thefirm, such as the organizational
culture, routines, policies, systems, and documents, as well as individuals and teams
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0305-5728.htm
VINE
41,3
232
VINE: The journal of information and
knowledge management systems
Vol. 41 No. 3, 2011
pp. 232-251
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0305-5728
DOI 10.1108/03055721111171573
(Grant, 1996a). Knowledge shapes the firm’s core competences (Prahalad and Hamel,
1990) and therefore determines value creation (Grant, 1996b). Furthermore, tacit
knowledge, social knowledge, and complex knowledge are difficult to imitate (McEvily
and Chakravarthy, 2002). Hence, competences based on these types of knowledge
cannot be easily duplicated by competitors, and strategies based on these competences
are likely to lead to sustainable competitive advantage. KM has been an established
discipline since long back, at least in early 1970’s. The knowledge movement kicked off
through the realization of management that what an organization and its employees
know is central to an organizations success (Davenport and Prusak, 1998). The benefits
of reusing information time after time without major reinvestment has long suggested
why managers have been interested in the business of acting as a knowledge
intermediary between their firms and other businesses (Sarvary, 1999). Recently,
scholars have been able to provide an explanation for the reuse of information with
such constructs as “economies of knowledge” and “learning to learn” (Cohen and
Levinthal, 1990). Modern KM research refers to the acquisition, assimilation, and
interpretation of knowledge (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990) to create new
knowledge-intensive solutions (Sutton and Hargadon, 1996), sharing of knowledg e
about problems and solutions (Dixon, 2000), and exploitation of knowledge-based
solutions (Sarvary, 1999).
According to Maister (1997), there are at least three different kinds of knowledge
elements at play:
(1) Expertise or new knowledge. Knowledge is “new” when it provides answers on
how to act in a situation that is experienced in a totally novel situation. Often
called expertise, new knowledge provides what appears as an in-depth and
fundamental perspective on the novel situation. Typically, this kind of
knowledge takes the form of quite abstract laws and rules, making it less than
straightforward to apply. Transferring expertise is often linked to a highly
advanced repertoire of skills in terms of communication with the aid of
symbols, analogues, language, and “skeumorphs” (Hargadon and Douglas,
2000).
(2) Experience-based knowledge. When one is fully comfortable with some “old” or
well-worn knowledge, the knowledge appears familiar and well known. Within
this context, it is valuable to be able to contextualize the knowledge in terms of
cognitive or mental models. Typically referred to as experience, this form of
knowledge is transferred in the form of concrete examples and stories (Brown
and Duguid, 2000).
(3) Process or efficiency knowledge. Concrete experience that illustrates an abstract
model provides a dataset of processes, practices, and routines that can be
codified as information (Brown and Duguid, 2000). Process knowledge is often
linked to operational improvements and rationalization (Hammer and Champy,
1993). This kind of codified data can be readily analyzed, cross-tabulated, and
tested in spreadsheets, laboratory experiments, and so forth.
These three kinds of knowledge seldom exist in pure form. Since organizational
learning appears to differ across time (i.e. according to an organization’s stage of
development; Greiner, 1972), hybrid forms of knowledge emerge. Events and
developments are often uneven and “lumpy.” While learning by individuals and by the
A study of
integrated KM
233
To continue reading
Request your trial