Examining motivation of IT vendors to share knowledge with clients |
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| Institution: | 1. Asia Europe Business School, Faculty of Economics and Management, East China Normal University, 155 Tanjiatang Road, Minhang District, Shanghai 200241, China;2. Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University, Balaclava Rd, Macquarie Park, NSW 2109, Australia;1. School of Interdisciplinary Industrial Studies, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea;2. Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA;1. Surrey Business School, Rik Medlik Building, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK;2. Kedge Business School, Domaine de Luminy, BP 921, 13288 Marseille Cedex 9, France;3. Montpellier Business School, 2300 Avenue des Moulins, 34080, Montpellier, France;4. Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Road, Bethnal Green, London E1 4NS, UK;1. School of Information Technology, Media, and Communication, Murdoch University, Australia;2. Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Australia;3. Department of Operations and Information Systems Management, Muhammad Ali Jinnah University, Karachi, Pakistan |
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| Abstract: | To reduce information technology (IT) development costs, more firms have begun to outsource IT-related activities by partnering with IT vendors. As knowledge is a valuable asset in IT development, knowledge sharing between vendors and business clients becomes critical. However, the motivation behind IT vendors’ willingness to share knowledge with client firms is not sufficiently understood. To shed light on the nature of knowledge sharing within vendor–client partnerships, we examine the influence of performance feedback and managerial mindset on vendors’ motivation to share knowledge with their clients. We adopt a multi-method approach involving both a scenario-based field experiment with 164 vendor managers (Study 1) and a field survey of 112 vendor managers involved in IT development (Study 2). We find that when vendors’ performance exceeds their aspiration levels, they are motivated to share knowledge with clients. Such motivational effects are more pronounced for vendor managers exhibiting abstract mindsets. Our study is of significant value to researchers and practitioners, affording both groups a keener, deeper, and more robust appreciation for how knowledge sharing in vendor–client partnerships can be managed more effectively. |
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| Keywords: | Knowledge sharing Vendor–client partnership Information technology (IT) |
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