Kemal A. Delic
Abstract
People add the power to a simple equation for enlightened decision-making in the IT service industry
Index Terms
- IT services = People + Tools + processes
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Reviews
Meg Broderick
The term co-opetition (which does not yet appear in the dictionary) is the key operative term in this paper, meaning simultaneous cooperation and competition. The sharing of knowledge in cooperation, within and between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), is a source of competitive advantage, thus bringing about cooperation in competition. This paper uses data from SMEs in the United Kingdom to investigate co-opetition, knowledge-sharing management, and the role played by information systems and information technology (IS/IT). The work makes use of the case study approach as a useful method for exploratory research, since it is then possible to pose reflective questions. It also seems that case study research is effective when a theory is relatively underdeveloped. The case studies used, however, are all SMEs in the same area in the UK, which poses the first major problem with this research: breadth of sample. The second problem stems from the fact that the cases were supposed to be chosen according to the EU definition of small and medium sized firms: those having 10-250 employees. The majority of SMEs in this study are "small," however, with 10-99 employees, thus providing a bias in terms of depth of sample. All are established firms that have been trading for a number of years. There was also no attempt to control for industrial sector, however, since according to the authors it has been shown that for information and communications technology (ICT) adoption sector has little influence. The 37 SMEs are categorized into four models, which identify what the companies exchange, and the systems they use to exchange them. The enterprises are part of a larger research program, investigating SMEs' use of IS. What is unclear is how the companies are grouped into the efficiency, collaboration, repositioning, and coordination quadrants. Is it through self-identification, or some other categorizing formula__ __ Regardless, seems that there are more companies in the quadrants that have cost as their strategic focus rather than value added, which may introduce a bias once again in the sample being studied. Some of the conclusions of the study include: (1) that in efficiency-focused companies, there is an acknowledgement of the benefits gained from knowledge sharing, but little evidence of it, due to a negative or limited view of such a practice; (2) in coordination focused SMEs that are growing steadily, some investment in information systems exists, but uncertainly about the benefits of such sharing prevails; (3) in collaboration-focused SMEs, information is already regarded as an asset; and (4) in repositioning-focused SMEs, although information is used effectively, there might be some reluctance to share knowledge. Despite the shortcomings of the study, it is our best introduction to this little-known aspect of how co-opetition operates in the real world, and of its impact on SMEs. Researchers continue to debate the role of knowledge and knowledge sharing in organizations. This paper brings about an understanding of the fact that SMEs need to manage knowledge as players in a co-opetitive game, and also invites further study. Online Computing Reviews Service
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