A qualitative study of inter‐organizational knowledge management in complex products and systems development

Abstract

Much research has recognized that cross‐disciplinary knowledge inputs are necessary to successful product innovation, particularly in complex products and systems (CoPS) development. This paper focuses on developing an exploratory framework for studying how an inter‐organizational knowledge management (KM) approach affects the development of CoPS, and exploring how inter‐organizational collaboration affects KM within a CoPS context. Based on a review of the literature and in‐depth case studies, this paper puts forward some propositions and develops an integrated conceptual model showing the link between the dimensions of inter‐organizational KM and the performance of CoPS development. Finally, the implications of the proposed model for inter‐organizational KM in a CoPS environment are discussed.