Vendor-Vendor Knowledge Transfer In Global ISD Outsourcing Projects: Insights From A German Case Study

While prior research repeatedly emphasized the importance of client-vendor knowledge transfer in global ISD outsourcing projects, there is still very little understanding about the knowledge transfer between vendor companies. However, due to the increasing involvement of multiple vendors within a global ISD project, the topic becomes vital. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to analyze how and through which factors vendor-vendor knowledge transfer is shaped. As research on this topic is scarce, we applied an exploratory in-depth single-case study as research approach. The case comprises a global ISD project initiated by a large German bank involving several globally distributed vendors. For data collection and analysis, techniques from grounded theory method were adopted. The analysis of our case suggests that knowledge transfer between vendors runs through four stages and is influenced through various factors relating to certain characteristics of the knowledge receiver, the structure of the knowledge to be transferred and organizational characteristics of the involved parties. The paper concludes by offering theoretical and practical implications