정보시스템 아웃소싱 개발에서 지식 이전이 프로젝트 성과에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구 - IT 서비스 기업과 발주기업의 양방향 지식이전을 중심으로 -

In general, information system outsourcing projects involve collaboration between IT service providers and their customers. Therefore, the success of the development is often determined by knowledge transfer between themselves. While prior studies on knowledge transfer have focused on knowledge transfer from IT service providers to customers, they have neglected the opposite direction of knowledge transfer such as knowledge transfer from customers to IT service providers. Thus, in relation to knowledge transfer between IT service providers and customers, we have considered that dual knowledge transfer will be more influential to improve the performance of IT project rather than one-way knowledge transfer from only IT service providers/vendors which was mentioned by previous research. Therefore, in this study, we have highlighted that knowledge transfer from clients to IT vendors may be more critical to result in better performance of IT projects. The proposed research model was empirically assessed using the survey data collected from 282 IT projects and then tested by PLS Graph. After testing our research model, we have found that there exists the dual knowledge transfer in the IS outsourcing context. It indicates that knowledge transfer from the IT service provider to the client is highly important as found in previous studies. Furthermore, our findings indicate that dual process of knowledge transfer (e.g. from IT vendors to clients and vice versa) seems equally important to improve the results of IT projects. In particular, when certain of IT project are progressed, both management and technical knowledge of IT vendors were important for clients while IT service providers have considered management knowledge as an important factor of knowledge transfer in IT projects for their success. The findings of this study present the following contributions for research and practice. First, the study first examined the dual-knowledge transfer mechanism in IT projects. Our findings have suggested that dual process of knowledge transfer (e.g. from IT vendors to clients and vice versa) may be important to improve the performance of IT projects. In our findings, management and technical knowledge of each project partner have influenced both partners’ knowledge transfer except the relation between clients’ technical knowledge and knowledge transfer from clients to IT vendors. Second, to verify the impact of dual-knowledge transfer by system characteristics, we have examined the relationship between dual knowledge transfer and IT project performance by collecting system type data from clients as well as IT vendors. Our findings have suggested that knowledge transfer from clients to IT vendors has greater impacts on system implementation in the customized IT development than in the packaged IT. Third, we have also presented trust toward project partners (IT vendors and clients) as a salient factor which affects knowledge transfer between IT vendors and clients. Trust toward IT vendors was particularly important for clients while the effect of IT vendors’ trust toward clients was not significant. Finally, our research contributes to the practice of IT projects by describing the factors of dual-knowledge transfer between project partners who need to improve the performance of IT projects and the process by which such transfer are made. Additionally, the research contributes to bridge the gap between the current and previous studies on knowledge transfer. This study is an empirical evidence that demonstrates the relationships between the customers and IT service providers’ knowledge transfer in IS outsourcing projects. Furthermore, In our findings, management and technical knowledge of each project partner have influenced both partners’ knowledge transfer except the relation between clients’ technical knowledge and knowledge transfer from customers to IT service providers.