Analyzing the effects of technological, organizational and competition factors on Web knowledge exchange in SMEs

The determinants of smart government systems adoption by public sector organizations in Saudi Arabia

This study investigates the determinants of smart government systems that are used in public service organizations in Saudi Arabia. The world's developed nations have conducted studies on smart government systems, but little research has been done on the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia. This study fills the lacuna in the literature. Based on a number of theories including the Technology, Organization, and Environment framework (TOE), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and Technology Acceptance Models (TAM), the study established an integrated conceptual research model. Online survey questionnaires were sent to 2060 employees in four ministries and after the second reminder a total of 427 completed answers were received, of which 419 (22% response rate) were deemed useable for the analysis. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to analyze the data and results indicated that 51% of the variance (R2 = 0.51) of employees' perceptions of smart government systems is explained by independent determinants. Findings show that security concerns (t (419) = 2.051, p < 0.041), ICT strategy (t (419) = 4.215, p < 0.000), managerial support (t (419) = 5.027, p < 0.000), incentives (t (419) = 5.263, p < 0.000), and trust (t (419) = -1.957, p < 0.050) are significant predictors of smart government systems acceptance. Meanwhile cultural values (t (419) = 0.669, p < 0.504) and religious values (t (419) = 1.082, p < 0.280) have no significant effect on the attitude to smart system adoption. Perception was found to have a strong significant effect on adoption of smart government systems (t (419) = 8.411, p < 0.000). These results have significant implications for the Saudi government's drive to implement smart government systems in all its agencies.

How do MNEs shape their international strategic alliances to facilitate higher alliance performance? Absorptive capacity as an antecedent

The international strategic alliance in international marketing is international social network to realize superior performance. This requires firms to increasingly consolidate international relationship with foreign partners. Knowledge acquisition and integration by absorptive capacity (AC) as an antecedent for international strategic alliance is understudied. This study aims to explore the relationship between AC and international strategic alliance, and their impact on the international performance of multinational enterprises (MNEs). This study empirically verifies the research framework from 223 Taiwanese MNEs. In terms of structural model, researchers conduct PLS-SEM to verify the hypotheses in this study. The results confirm previous studies that indicate a positive relationship among AC, international strategic alliance, and international performance. The results also indicate that international explorative and exploitative alliance fits mediate the relationship between AC and international performance.

The role of information communication technologies as a moderator of knowledge creation and knowledge sharing in improving the quality of healthcare services

This study examines the role of knowledge creation, knowledge sharing and information communication technologies, which are organizational factors that influence the quality of healthcare services. In today’s knowledge-intensive environment, understanding and gaining in-depth knowledge on how to improve the quality of healthcare services is gaining in importance and recognition. Quantitative data collected in 2019 with 151 respondents employed in healthcare organizations was used. Running a series of hierarchical linear regression models, we found a significant positive relationship between knowledge creation and quality of healthcare services, and a significant positive relationship between knowledge sharing and quality of healthcare services. Empirical data additionally provides support for information communication technologies that act as a moderator both in the relationship between knowledge creation and knowledge sharing with quality of healthcare services. With our data, we provide empirical backing for the impact of knowledge creation, knowledge sharing and information communication technologies on the quality of healthcare services that are provided by Montenegrin healthcare organizations. Our paper offers theoretical and practical implications derived from our research study.

The Role of Relational Embeddedness in Enhancing Absorptive Capacity and Relational Performance of Internationalized SMEs: Evidence From Mainland China

The social network in the organizational learning process is a critical knowledge source to realize superior performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between relational memory, relational embeddedness, and absorptive capacity, and their impact on the relational performance of small and middle enterprises (SMEs). This study empirically verifies the research framework from 223 Chinese internationalized SMEs. The results confirm previous studies that indicate positive correlations among relational embeddedness, relational memory, and absorptive capacity. The results also indicate that relational embeddedness and relational memory have positive effects on relational performance. The findings show that relational memory plays a mediating role in the relationship between relational embeddedness, absorptive capacity, and relational performance.

The Impact of Organizational Context on the Levels of Cross-Border E-Commerce Adoption in Chinese SMEs: The Moderating Role of Environmental Context

With the rapid technological developments, cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) as a sector is also expanding rapidly. In the past couple of decades, China has become a major force in promoting and developing CBEC and, therefore, it was needed to explore the various antecedents and outcomes of Chinese CBEC to expand the understanding and existing CBEC scholarship. Ample studies have been conducted to understand the antecedents and outcomes of CBEC. However, limited studies have explored such variables which can mitigate the adoption of CBEC. With this background, this empirical study was focused on addressing this gap by studying the moderating role of environmental context between organizational context and the four levels of CBEC adoption with the help of a technology-organization-environment framework. SMEs operating in China were targeted for data collection, where data were collected through an online survey. A final sample size of 208 was recorded. It was found that the organizational context has a direct and positive impact on all four levels of CBEC adoption. Furthermore, the moderating role of environmental context on Level 1 and 2 was not supported. Finally, the moderating role of environmental context on Level 3 and 4 was supported by the data. It was concluded that the organizational context plays a significant role in shaping CBEC at all four levels, whereas the environmental context has the potential to mitigate the relationships between organizational context and CBEC Level 3 and 4.

A discriminant analysis of high and low-innovative firms: the role of IT, human resources, innovation strategy, intellectual capital and environmental dynamism

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the effect of technological, organizational and environmental factors on the level of innovation outcomes in manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the technology-organization-environment theory this paper conducts a discriminant analysis of firms’ innovation level based on a data set of manufacturing SMEs.

Findings

The results show that low- and high-innovative firms can be distinguished in terms of information technology (IT) knowledge and infrastructure, commitment-based human resources (HR) selection practices, exploitative innovation and organizational capital.

Practical implications

The study findings support the idea that innovation is a complex phenomenon explained by multiple factors. As a consequence, firms need to devote extra efforts to develop IT knowledge and infrastructure, commitment-based HR selection practices and organizational capital because these are crucial for obtaining greater innovation outcomes. In addition, the identification of exploitative innovation as a strong discriminant variable highlights that the most effective way to be a highly innovative SME is through incremental innovation, which permits the firm to capitalize as much as possible on previous exploratory efforts.

Originality/value

Although many studies have highlighted that innovation is more challenging for SMEs than for their larger counterparts, the vast majority of studies has been conducted in large companies. This paper extends prior literature by analyzing the discriminant variables that may distinguish between low- and high-innovative manufacturing SMEs.

Drivers and outcomes of green information technology adoption in service organizations: an evidence from emerging economy context

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the technology-organization-environment (TOE) predictors of green information technology adoption in an emerging economy, namely, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and their impact on work performance among UAE organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

A paper-based survey was carried out by engaging employees in different organizations in the UAE. The “partial least squares” (PLS) method was used to test and analyze the measurement and the structural research models.

Findings

The analysis shows support to all the hypotheses, with the exception of the influence of competitive force.

Originality/value

The results can be valuable for practitioners and decision-makers in the emerging economy context as the results will help them validate their adoption decisions and effectively contribute to sustainability strategies.

Defining SMEs’ 4.0 Readiness Indicators

Industry 4.0 revolution offers smart manufacturing; it systematically incorporates production technology and advanced operation management. Adopting these high-state strategies can increase production efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and decrease manufacturer costs. Simultaneously, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were the backbone of economic growth and development. They still lack both the knowledge and decision-making to verify this high-stage technology’s performance and implementation. Therefore, the research aims to define the readiness indicators to assess and support SMEs toward Industry 4.0. The research begins with found aspects that influence the SME 4.0 readiness by using Bibliometric techniques. The result shows the aspects which were the most occurrences such as the Industrial Internet, Cloud Manufacturing, Collaborative Robot, Business Model, and Digital Transformation. They were then grouped into five dimensions by using the visualization of similarities (VOS) techniques: (1) Organizational Resilience, (2) Infrastructure System, (3) Manufacturing System, (4) Data Transformation, and (5) Digital Technology. Cronbach’s alpha then validated the composite dimensions at a 0.926 level of reliability and a significant positive correlation. After that, the indicators were defined from the dimension and aspects approach. Finally, the indicators were pilot tested by small enterprises. It appeared that 23 indicators could support SMEs 4.0 readiness indication and decision-making in the context of Industry 4.0.

The Effect of Relational Embeddedness, Absorptive Capacity, and Learning Orientation on SMEs' Competitive Advantage

The combination of external new knowledge and organizational capability has become a cornerstone in the internationalized enterprises. Sources of knowledge acquisition are among the most valuable resources that an internationalized firm can achieve competitive advantage. This study aims to explore this phenomenon between knowledge sources and competitive advantage in the context of internationalized small and medium enterprises (SMEs) mainly by a quantitative approach. Based on contextual nature of resource–capability–competitive, absorptive capacity has long been a critical construct in organizational studies, as well as referring relational embeddedness as potential drivers of absorptive capacity, which is moderated by learning orientation. This study also investigates the mediating effect of absorptive capacity in terms of knowledge absorption and integration on international competitive advantage. To gain insights and provide essential implications for internationalized SMEs from the global economy, this study adopted purposive sampling to collect 211 valid responses. Via the partial least-squares structural modeling, the relationships among relational embeddedness, potential and realized absorptive capacity, and competitive advantage were measured. The results suggest that relational embeddedness positively influences potential and realized absorptive capacity with moderating effect of learning orientation. Potential and realized absorptive capacities have full mediating effect between relational embeddedness and competitive advantage. This study concludes insights and implications for research and practice.

Organisational-Level Assessment of Cloud Computing Adoption

Cloud Computing (CC) is an emerging technology that can potentially revolutionise the application and delivery of IT. There has been little research, however, into the adoption of CC in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). The indicators show that CC has been adopted very slowly. There is also a significant research gap in the investigation of the adoption of this innovation in SMEs. This article explores how the adoption of CC in Australia is related to technological factors, risk factors, and environmental factors. The study provides useful insights that can be utilised practically by SMEs, policymakers, and cloud vendors.

Emotional Factors Affecting Knowledge Sharing Intentions in the Context of Competitive Knowledge Network

This study deals with a competitive knowledge network (CKN) where participants desire to pass their personally important exams, and henceforth want to contribute and seek knowledge about exam-related issues they need to solve. Besides, CKN members are basically competing with each other since they all aim to pass the same exams. Therefore, from the contributor’s perspective, if the advisor fears that his/her advice can be detrimental to his or her own benefits, knowledge sharing (KS) intention within the CKN may be hindered by their expectation of competitive advantage. However, few studies were done about the effects of such fear and a sense of competition on KS continuance intention in the context of CKN. In this sense, our study aims to elucidate the effects of competition and fear on KS continuance intention in a mobile CKN. By using 296 valid questionnaires, we obtained very meaningful conclusions such that competition is a driving force rather than an obstacle to KS among CKN members, and fear also enhances members’ sustainable KS intention.

Adoption of Industrial IoT (IIoT) in Auto-Component Manufacturing SMEs in India

This article investigates the adoption of Industrial Internet-of-Things (IIoT) in Auto-Component Manufacturing SMEs (ACM SMEs) in the context of a developing country like India by using the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework. This research surveyed Information & Communication Technology (ICT) officers, managers and owners of 320 ACM SMEs in India using a structured questionnaire to understand the adoption of IIoT. The primary data was analyzed using the PLS-SEM technique. It was found that IIoT expertise, IIoT infrastructure, relative advantage, compatibility, cost, security, organizational readiness, top management support, competitive pressure, and support from technology vendors are factors that affect the adoption of IIoT. This article considered organization size as the control variable. The results show that it does not have a significant effect on the adoption of IIoT. ACM SMEs are one of the important sectors adopting IIoT. This article provides valuable insights to their managers and IIoT vendors. It also suggests key inputs to the government officials involved in the ‘Make in India' initiative of Government of India (GoI) and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).

Online Store Locator: An Essential Resource for Retailers in the 21st Century

Most retailers use their websites and social media to increase their visibility, while potential customers get information about these retailers using the Internet on electronic devices. Many papers have previously studied online marketing strategies used by retailers, but little attention has been paid to determine how these companies provide information through the Internet about the location and characteristics of their stores. This paper aims to obtain evidence about the inclusion of interactive web maps on retailers’ websites to provide information about the location of their stores. With this purpose, the store locator interactive tools of specialty retailers’ websites included in the report “Global Powers of Retailing 2015” are studied in detail using different procedures, such as frequency analysis and word clouds. From the results obtained, it was concluded that most of these firms use interactive maps to provide information about their offline stores, but today some of them still use non-interactive (static) maps or text format to present this information. Moreover, some differences were observed among the search filters used in the store locator services, according to the retailer’s specialty. These results provided insight into the important role of online store locator tools on retailers’ websites.

Construction of personal knowledge maps for a peer-to-peer information-sharing environment

Purpose

Browsing knowledge documents in a peer-to-peer (P2P) environment is difficult because knowledge documents in such an environment are large in quantity and distributed over different peers who organize the documents according to their own views. This paper aims to propose a method for constructing a personal knowledge map for a peer to facilitate knowledge browsing and alleviate information overload in P2P environments.

Design/methodology/approach

The research presents a method for constructing a personal knowledge map. The method adopts an ontology-concept-tree-based classification algorithm to recognize a peer’s personal knowledge structure and construct a personal knowledge map, and uses a self-organizing map algorithm to cluster and visualize the knowledge documents. The correctness of the created knowledge map is evaluated with a collection of abstracts of academic papers.

Findings

The method for constructing a personal knowledge map is the main finding of this research. The evaluation shows that the created knowledge map is good in quality.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed method provides a way for P2P platforms to understand their users’ knowledge background, as well as to improve the P2P platform environment. However, the proposed method will not help a peer when he has nothing in his individual knowledge document repository (i.e. the “cold start” problem). The method also requires a relatively good ontology base for a P2P document sharing system to use the method effectively.

Originality/value

It is novel that the proposed method organizes the knowledge documents related to a peer’s knowledge background into a personal knowledge map. Moreover, the created knowledge map combines the advantages of a hierarchical display and a map display. It has values for a distributed P2P environment to facilitate users’ knowledge browsing and to alleviate information overload.

Knowledge exploration and ICT knowledge exploitation through human resource management

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to assess the relationships among human resource management (HRM), information and communication technology (ICT), knowledge exploitation and knowledge exploration.

Design/methodology/approach

To reach the study’s goal, The authors applied a quantitative methodology involving ordinary least squares on a sample of 129 Italian firms.

Findings

Results confirm a direct and significant effect of HRM practices on knowledge exploration and a moderation effect of ICT knowledge exploitation on the relationship between HRM practices and knowledge exploration.

Originality/value

The relationship between knowledge management (KM) and HRM is relevant given that HRM can affect organizational culture and the management of strategic knowledge within firms, which is a primary resource to achieve better positioning in the markets. Nevertheless, the implicit link between KM and HRM has been theoretically suggested, but it requires further exploration, in particular through quantitative analysis.

Information technology, knowledge management and environmental dynamism as drivers of innovation ambidexterity: a study in SMEs

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of technological, organizational and environmental factors on innovation ambidexterity and its influence on the performance of manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as the moderating effect environmental dynamism on this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the Technology–Organization–Environment theory and the Knowledge-Based View, this paper develops an integrative research model, which analyzes the network of relations using covariance-based structural equation modeling on a data set of 429 Spanish SMEs.

Findings

The results show that information technology capability, knowledge management capability and environmental dynamism are positively associated with innovation ambidexterity. In addition, environmental dynamism is found to strengthen the positive effect of innovation ambidexterity on firm performance.

Practical implications

The study findings support the idea that innovation can be developed in an ambidextrous manner within a single SME as long as the firm is capable of creating a suitable organizational context and giving a prompt response to changes in the business environment.

Originality/value

Although many studies have highlighted that being ambidextrous is more challenging for SMEs than for their larger counterparts, the vast majority of studies has been conducted in large companies. This paper extends prior literature by analyzing antecedents and outcomes of innovation ambidexterity in manufacturing SMEs.

On the path towards open innovation: assessing the role of knowledge management capability and environmental dynamism in SMEs

Purpose

This study aims to shed light on the internal and external antecedents of open innovation (OI) in the context of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a special focus on the role of knowledge management (KM) capability. The paper develops and tests an integrative research model which assesses the effect of internal factors on KM capability; the impact of organizational and external factors, namely, KM capability and environmental dynamism, on OI; and whether environmental dynamism moderates the relationship between KM capability and OI.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the knowledge-based view and the social exchange and the contingency theories, this paper develops an integrative research model which analyzes several relations between organizational antecedents of KM capability and its effect on OI by using covariance-based structural equation modeling on a data set of Spanish SMEs.

Findings

Results confirm that information technology-supported operations and commitment-based human resource practices have a positive and significant influence on KM capability. In contrast, results do not find support for the relationship between interdepartmental connectedness and KM capability, whereas both KM capability and environmental dynamism have a direct influence on OI.

Originality/value

This paper adds to existing research on OI, as it is the first study that addresses the critical role of KM capability for the implementation of OI.

Impact of knowledge management enablers on knowledge sharing

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of trust in the relationship between knowledge management enablers (i.e. top management support, organizational culture, knowledge management system quality, and openness in communication) on knowledge sharing in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted through self-administered survey of employees of SMEs in Pakistan. Correlation, Baron and Kenny approach (causal steps approach) and PROCESS Macro (normal test theory) developed by Hayes were used to find out the direct and indirect effects of trust among knowledge management enablers and knowledge sharing.

Findings

The results have shown that trust of employees at SMEs was developed through knowledge management enablers which promote knowledge sharing. Therefore, the relationship between knowledge management enablers, trust, and knowledge sharing is positive.

Research limitations/implications

The current study only considered the single aspect of knowledge management system, i.e. knowledge sharing; some other aspects of knowledge management system such as knowledge creation and knowledge utilization can be used for future studies at SMEs sector.

Practical implications

The mediation of trust between top management support, culture, openness in communication, and knowledge sharing provided that trustworthy relationships between the members of an organization would lead to enhance the knowledge sharing activities. In order to promote the knowledge sharing attitudes within the organization, the managers should consider knowledge management enablers (top management support, organizational culture, and openness in communication) along with trustworthy environment as an energetic force for the development of knowledge management systems.

Originality/value

The study confirmed the mediating effect of trust between the relationships of top management support, organizational culture, openness in communication, and knowledge sharing, while there is a partial mediating role of trust between knowledge management system quality and knowledge sharing.

Towards building internal social network architecture that drives innovation: a social exchange theory perspective

Purpose

This paper aims to contribute toward the extension and further development of the social exchange theory. It provides conceptual insights on social networks in geographically dispersed organizations, and how intra-organizational social interactions influence organizational behavior, employees relationship exchange inclination and innovation drive.

Design/methodology/approach

A thematic literature review method was used to conduct an extensive review of relevant literature.

Findings

Guided by the tenets of the social exchange theory, the authors’ analysis and discussions elucidate how intra-organizational social network architecture can be developed, supported and utilized to drive innovations in geographically dispersed organizations.

Research limitations/implications

A general limitation and perhaps also a strength of this type of conceptual paper is that it is a synthesis (thematic discursive analysis) of existing theory and published research. Thus, there are no primary empirical content. However, the issue of empirical evidence is nevertheless mediated by the fact that the discussions and argumentation process generate key propositions which could be validated in subsequent research endeavors. Also, the selection of relevant literature is restricted specifically to the topic of the study. The authors strived to ensure rigor through a robust and comprehensive literature review which was organized thematically according to all the key words in the main and sub-topics covered in Section 2.

Practical implications

The insights presented suggest that management should pay serious attention to organizational design – that is, not only from the conventional contractual obligations point of view, but rather, the increasing importance of social capital should also be given some priority when thinking of resilient ways to encourage collaborations and efficient knowledge management. In other words, intra-organizational social network architecture should be considered as organizational capability and utilized as a toolset for the SIHRM to harness knowledge flow and unleash innovation.

Social implications

As both bonding and bridging ties are not only critical for success of project teams but also intensify knowledge symmetry across different units of the organization, they are a major conduit for sustainable open innovation culture within organization. To develop competitive capabilities throughout the organization, it is important for the SIHRM to be involved in global networking, and as a network leader, the human resource management function must have an awareness of leading trends and developments in social networking. The ability to mobilize the appropriate resources and a sense of timing and context in implementing such architecture within the geographically spread organization is crucial.

Originality/value

The novel contribution of this paper is twofold. First, the study provides an implementable framework which scholars and practitioners could use to develop and test the actualization of an intra-organizational social network architecture in a geographically dispersed organization. Second, the study has provided some key propositions and a well-grounded direction for further research to inspire further development/extension of the social exchange theory.

The effect of online social networks and competency-based management on innovation capability

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of online social networks and competency-based management on innovation capability.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is theory-confirming. Theoretical relationships were tested using an empirical study of 289 firms from the Spanish biotechnology and telecommunications industries.

Findings

Results confirm that online social network use for internal cognitive processes (e.g. reading, searching and storing information) and external cognitive processes (e.g. sharing and co-creating knowledge) positively affects knowledge transfer. This knowledge helps firms to achieve superior competency in R&D to succeed in innovation programs.

Research Limitations/implications

All survey respondents were from Spain, which may limit the generalizability of findings. A longitudinal approach was not used. However, doing so would make it possible to explore time lags between online social network use, competency-based management and innovation.

Practical Implications

This paper highlights the potential as well as the limitations of online social networks and competency-based management in promoting innovation capability. Businesses must consciously manage the assimilation and use of online social networks to benefit from them.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the literature by identifying effects on innovation capability at the meso-level (i.e. online social networks). Findings highlight the need for a shift in focus away from collaborating and interacting in online social networks (micro-level) and organizational contexts (macro-level) so as to improve innovation capability.

Factors affecting the use of wiki to manage knowledge in a small company

Purpose

This paper intends to present and discuss the findings of a case study analysis of the adoption and use of a wiki system by a small enterprise that is intended as a tool for managing the knowledge needed to successfully perform its business activities. The study aims at contributing to the still insufficient research on the factors influencing the use of new Web 2.0 technologies in small organisations to support internal knowledge management.

Design/methodology/approach

The study combines a qualitative and quantitative approach. The main unit of analysis is the wiki system of a small company, particularly its implementation and usage by the company’s employees. Relevant information about the wiki was collected through six interviews to different company members, and by means of an online survey submitted to almost all employees. Interviews involved the CEO of the company, the system developers and two typical users. The survey was made through a questionnaire of 19 questions online administered by means of a popular free-access online poll website (freeonlinesurveys.com).

Findings

Through the reconstruction of the history of the system, the study allowed to understand how the wiki has been introduced and is effectively used inside the case company. The findings of the study highlight that the wiki technology, being light and user-friendly, can be particularly suited for small companies. At the same time, they reveal that the successful implementation of such a system is not a spontaneous and automatic result, but requires a resolute support by top management, a good motivation of participating employees and a clear definition of purposes and ways of use.

Practical implications

The findings of the study contribute both to the academic research, by making available to scholars further empirical evidence about the use of Web 2.0 technologies in small organisations, and to the practice, by providing some guidelines to managers of small companies who are attempting to adopt and use wikis to effectively manage their knowledge assets.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the limited research about the adoption and use of wikis as knowledge management system, both in general and in the particular case of a SME. Furthermore, by investigating the behaviours and opinions of individual knowledge workers, it takes into account a perspective that the literature has so far neglected.

Web GIS to enhance relational capital: the case of general merchandise retailers

Purpose

This paper aims to study the impact of information and communication technologies in organizations to capture and manage intellectual capital. The paper focuses particularly on the use of Web-based geographical information systems (Web GIS) to increase relational capital.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyzes in detail the Web sites of 143 general merchandise retailers, which have been grouped according to their dominant operational format. Menus and search tools have been used to find out about the way in which these retailers provide information to the customers about their stores, with special attention to the use of Web GIS.

Findings

The results obtained show that most of the companies analyzed use Web GIS to provide information about the location and other characteristics of the stores. The findings in this paper also suggest that the quantity and quality of the information provided by is somewhat related to the company size.

Research limitations/implications

The limitations of this study come from the difficulty of predicting whether small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will generalize the use of Web GIS in the future.

Practical implications

The findings of the paper suggest that large retail firms have adopted Web GIS to provide information to the customers and for other geomarketing purposes. Moreover, SMEs should use Web GIS to improve their relationship with customers.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, no paper has analyzed in detail the use of Web GIS by companies with the aim of enhancing relational capital.

Group dynamics and the role of ICT in the life cycle analysis of community of practice-based product development: a case study

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the dynamics of a community of practice (CoP) through a case study of eCars – Now! They offer open-source blueprints of the electric conversion kits globally. The authors analysed the CoP by considering its entire life cycle, starting from the motives for its establishment, through its active performance, up to the current stage, where the members need to decide whether the community will remain viable. Particular attention was paid to the group dynamics and issues that seemed relevant to the change in dynamics which determine whether a CoP maintains its vitality or dissipates.

Design/methodology/approach

The qualitative case study was chosen as the research strategy (Yin, 1984) to answer the research question and understand the target phenomenon of the CoP by analysing textual data. This particular case was chosen because of its unusual revelatory value for the case CoP which aims at creating a tangible innovation by using a platform that normally aims at intangible problem-solving (Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007). In the data collection, the authors used method and researcher triangulation (Patton, 1990).

Findings

Life cycle analysis revealed four themes that explained the change in the group dynamics and the dispersal of the community: differentiation and dispersal of interests, growth that resulted in role differentiation, virtuality in community development and inclusion of investors. The themes were all related to the fact that the case community operated with not only knowledge, but also with a tangible product. Therefore, the tangibility of a problem to be solved seems to play a pivotal role in a CoP’s operations and dynamics and, in part, also explains the changing role of information and communications technology (ICT) in the process.

Research limitations/implications

However, this paper identified also different ways to characterize community participation, which was also relevant from group dynamics point of view. Thus, the topic should be studied further. Group dynamics in general, as it relates to the success of CoPs, should be also investigated further. Additional studies should implement the inclusion of external resources in the community. Further research is also needed to investigate tangible and intangible outcomes achieved through CoPs. Much of the available research was conducted over short periods; prolonged interactions in a CoP context could show different results.

Practical implications

In conclusion, at the beginning of the life cycle of the eCars community, ICT played a significant role. It helped increase awareness of the community in the first place and enabled people to join in, which thus enabled the community to evolve. When the operations evolved and the life cycle progressed, both the physical meeting place as well as personal interaction and communication became emphasized and much more important. In the maturing stage, the role of ICT, and especially social media, is the essential part of the community.

Social implications

This analysis suggests that at the early stage of a community, the plans can be somewhat random, even utopian, but when the community evolves, this uncertainty can become a problem. First, it affects achieving the actual, and in this case, concrete results. Second, uncertainty and unclarity dampen enthusiasm and motivation, which are of utmost importance due to the voluntary participation. This paper also concludes that when the operations evolved and the life cycle progressed, both the physical meeting place as well as personal interaction and communication became increasingly important.

Originality/value

This paper argues that the ideological basis for this kind of community should be openness. All information should be available for everyone who registers to the community platform on the internet. This community was working in the mindset of open innovation. Technical documentation and all other material were available for everyone in the community’s wiki pages, which attracted a lot of people who were delighted by eCars. Many advisors delivered technical information and good advice to the practitioners of the community through the platform. The hang arounds were also very well-informed in this stage regarding how the core group was working.

New ICTs for Knowledge Management in Organizations

Purpose

The purpose of this special issue is to point out the possibilities of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) for knowledge management (KM) in organizations, offering different perspectives on and approaches for the role of new ICTs for KM, as well as measuring the impact and diffusion of new ICTs for KM within organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The selection of the papers included in this special issue is largely based on the work of the conference “7th European Conference on Intellectual Capital - ECIC” (April 2015, Cartagena, Spain), where the special issue editors organized a track on “New ICTs for Knowledge Management in Organizations”. The conference gathered leading scholars in the fields of intellectual capital and KM, dealing with the acquisition, creation and sharing of collective intelligence and how to utilize increased academic knowledge and networking in promoting economic and organizational innovations and changes.

Findings

The collection of papers covered in this special issue identifies challenging problems on the role of new ICTs for KM and their role in the design and implementation of innovative products, services or processes in organizations.

Research limitations/implications

The special issue tries to offer some new relevant advances for the academic and practice communities in the growing body of research analyzing new ICTs for KM. However, the theoretical and empirical advances showed represent only a partial view, which corresponds to the impact of new ICTs for KM at the organizational level of analysis.

Practical implications

The nature of new ICTs, such as social networking tools, wikis, internal blogging and the way they are used, suggest that nowadays they may differ from traditional organizational systems in two critical ways: the voluntary (typically not mandatory) use and their lack of activity or process orientation.

Originality/value

The special issue explores the phenomena by integrating different perspectives and approaches, including qualitative and quantitative empirical. This integration overcomes some limitations about the understanding of the issues under investigation.

ERP as an organizational innovation: key users and cross-boundary knowledge management

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to provide more insight in the ways key users act as knowledge managers and boundary spanners during the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system usage phase. Despite the recognized importance of key users during the implementation phase of an ERP system, little is known about their role in the ERP usage phase.

Design/methodology/approach

To provide rich insight in the boundary-spanning mechanisms utilized by key users to share knowledge, a qualitative approach was applied. In this study, “abductive” theme coding for 58 interviews with key users, end-users and managers has been used. This paper found six mechanisms and characterized them as “crossing” structural, social or cognitive boundaries.

Findings

Six boundary-spanning mechanisms have been distinguished which have been applied by key users to overcome several knowledge management issues. Subsequently, these mechanisms lead to a model which describes three different roles that key users may fulfill to efficiently share and transfer knowledge during the ERP usage phase.

Research limitations/implications

Knowledge barriers during an ERP implementation and their accompanying six boundary-crossing mechanisms have been distinguished.

Practical implications

The recognition of the essential role that key users can fulfill during the usage phase of an ERP system is an important implication. Management has to take into account that tasks and responsibilities of key users have to be clear from the start and they may cautiously select employees who are suited to become key users.

Originality/value

The main contribution is the importance of the impact of key users on the effectivity of knowledge management during the ERP usage phase.

IT innovation strategy: managing the implementation communication and its generated knowledge through the use of an ICT tool

Purpose

Without effective implementation, no information technology (IT) strategy can succeed. There has been much re-search into IT planning, but few studies have developed one of the most important phases of IT strategy: IT Implementation. IT implementation can be improved at information and communication technology (ICT) organizations through the use of organization learning models (OLM) and the implementation of ICT tools. This paper has two purposes define an OLM framework that determines the best practices to increase knowledge at individual, group and/organizational levels, and define and implement an ICT tool to facilitate the integration and institutionalization of the OLM. The ICT tool is based on the technology roadmapping technique that allows an organization to manage at an executive level what, when and how the IT strategy is going to be implemented.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on a case study performed at an ICT organization that provides ICT services to financial institutions. The study was carried out in 2014. It analyzed over 24,000 projects, which translated into an equivalent of more than 18 million man-hours. The proposal was assessed at a very large ICT organization.

Findings

This paper proposes a framework called SPIDER to effectively implement OLMs based on Big Data management principles for monitoring and reporting current status of IT innovation strategies. These kinds of approaches contribute to solve the problems identified in the state-of-the-art regarding the communication and monitoring the implementation status of IT innovation strategies. During this research work, several factors that are essential to implement these kinds of approaches in large banking organizations were identified: effort required to elaborate the monitoring and reporting activities; easiness to understand the reported information; detailed planning of the implementation program; and focus on communication efficiency.

Originality/value

This paper determined the best practices to manage knowledge generated during the implementation of an IT strategy. Additionally, this paper defined and implemented an ICT tool to properly communicate and monitor the implementation of an IT innovation strategy, based on technological roadmap techniques.

The impact of IT-based knowledge management systems on internal venturing and innovation: a structural equation modeling approach to corporate performance

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the perceived importance of information technology (IT) as a core factor enabling innovation in knowledge management (KM). The aim is to propose an approach for using the IT tools for KM involved in the design of effective learning applications to help the firms to guide internal venturing development.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design at the base of the present research has provided a survey which was conducted on a sample consisting of 187 different companies located in the Italian provinces of Naples and Caserta, from the segments of the electronics, the computer and network systems, the software (SW) development, aimed at deepening connections and influences of the use of IT-based knowledge management system (KMS). Structural equation modeling technique has been performed to get results.

Findings

Consistent with what has been observed in previous studies (Del Giudice and Straub, 2011), the empirical analysis developed has confirmed that 72 per cent of companies surveyed has defined themselves much agree on the ability of KMS for supporting complex phenomena such as internal venturing: both encouraging the individual to become “intrapreneur”; and helping the employee to improve their performances within business processes in which they are likely to be involved.

Originality/value

This paper reviews key research literature issues on IT revolution for KM. With the growth of new and exciting IT opportunities, however, comes the daunting opportunity to experiment interoperable, easy to use, engaging and accessible IT applications that communicate the right information needed to reconfigure innovative mechanisms for entrepreneurism and organizational performance.

Analyzing the complementarity of web infrastructure and eInnovation for business value generation

Purpose

– In recent years, there has been much debate about the value generated by the firms’ investments in information technology (IT). Although literature suggests that technology itself will rarely create superiority, web infrastructure can be critical for knowledge sharing and the formation of virtual teams to execute innovation processes which, in turn, may enhance e-innovation and business value. Building on these antecedents, the purpose of this paper is to explore whether and how web infrastructure and e-innovation can create business value by complementing each other.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm this paper develops a conceptual model to assess the effects of web infrastructure and e-innovation on business value as well as the complementarity between these resources. To test the associated hypotheses, a regression model was estimated and tested on a large sample of Spanish firms from different industries.

Findings

– The results show that web infrastructure is not positively related to business value, but on the contrary e-innovation has a positive impact on business value. However, support for complementarity between web infrastructure and e-innovation was not found.

Originality/value

– The present study tests the RBV logic, arguing that not all IT resources are source of competitive advantage. In the same vein, this study shows that e-innovation, as it requires combination of IT infrastructure with other unique intangible resources, is much more difficult to imitate, leading to competitive advantages.

Exploring the role of knowledge management practices in fostering customer relationship management as a catalyst of marketing innovation

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a research model exploring the link between knowledge management processes and customer relationship management (CRM) performance. It seeks to answer two research questions: What are the effective drivers of knowledge management processes in the context of a CRM initiative? Do these processes make a real impact on CRM performance?

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on data obtained from a sample of 93 service companies located in Spain. The authors conducted a structural equation modeling analysis using PLS to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

– It was observed that both technological and organizational readiness were effective drivers of knowledge management. However, it was contrasted also that the usage of social media tools was not significantly related to knowledge management. Results show a real impact of knowledge management processes on CRM performance, so companies can understand how to implement successfully those initiatives.

Research limitations/implications

– The main limitations of the study are that it was based on cross-sectional data and that variables were measured based on the perceptions of general managers.

Practical implications

– Service companies need to invest in technological infrastructures, and create an appropriate organizational climate (top management support, employees commitment) in order to promote effective knowledge management processes, that will enable CRM success, paving the way for the development of marketing innovations.

Originality/value

– This is the first empirical work that examines in confirmatory way what are the main drivers of knowledge management processes, including in the analysis the impact of both organizational and technological readiness, and considering also the usage of social media tools, in the context of a CRM initiative.