Who Talks with Whom: Impact of Knowledge Sharing in the Value Network of Born Globals

Introduction

The present chapter focuses on knowledge sharing in technology-intensive value networks of born global high-technology companies. Knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer have an effect on the success of the born globals (Levy, Loebbecke and Powell, 2003). In any value network, knowledge sharing with the partners is typical (Dyer and Nobeoka, 2000). However, it is very difficult to say which companies or other actors are not partners of a company. Competitors typically cooperate to standardize technologies but compete in other functions of the same business. For example, the GSM mobile technology standardization alliance consisted of such companies as Nokia, Siemens and Ericsson. These companies were fierce competitors in the GSM business as soon as the common GSM standard was approved.

Knowledge has two very different components: tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge means such knowledge as skills, capabilities and feelings. Tacit knowledge is difficult to communicate and share. Explicit knowledge means measurable knowledge such as numeric data. (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995) The knowledge sharing literature defines knowledge sharing as an internal feature of a company (Adenfelt and Lagerström, 2006; Hansen, 1999; Makela, Kalla, and Piekkari, 2007). An important and common reason for limited knowledge sharing is that there is lack of trust among network partners (Abrams et al, 2003; Li, 2005; Ariño, Torre, and Ring, 2001). Knowledge transfer is a term the meaning of which is similar to the meaning of the term knowledge sharing. However, knowledge transfer has a wider meaning, which includes, in addition, for example the transfer of patents (Agrawal and Henderson, 2002).