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Knowledge Management in Digital Change pp 189–206Cite as

Localizing Knowledge in Networks of SMEs—Implication of Proximities on the IT Support

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Part of the book series: Progress in IS ((PROIS))

Abstract

The concentration of knowledge development around the economy’s big players and into few regions leads to rising inequalities of knowledge distribution. Due to shorter innovation cycles, more and more knowledge is ephemeral. To stay competitive, both trends force organizations to absorb increasingly more distant knowledge faster and with less opportunities of reuse. This situation is particularly challenging for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with their limited resources. Joining networks focused on the acquisition of external knowledge and is one promising solution for SMEs. So far, there is little research on strategies that facilitate localization of knowledge, particularly in networks of SMEs. In this paper, therefore, we first identified the phases of localizing external knowledge, followed by an investigation on the role of proximities during the localization process and the potential for supportive IT.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    OECD, OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2014, OECD Publishing, 2014

  2. 2.

    OECD, Regions and Innovation: Collaborating across Borders, OECD Reviews of Regional Innovation, OECD Publishing, 2013.

  3. 3.

    OECD, OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2014, OECD Publishing, 2014.

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Acknowledgements

The Know-Center and Pro2​Future are funded within the Austrian COMET Program—Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies—under the auspices of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth and by the State of Styria. COMET is managed by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Know-Center GmbH and Pro2Future GmbH, Graz, Austria

    Stefan Thalmann

  2. Institute for Interactive Systems and Data Science, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria

    Stefan Thalmann

  3. Julius Blum GmbH, Höchst, Austria

    Stephan Schäper

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  1. Stefan Thalmann
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  2. Stephan Schäper
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Correspondence to Stefan Thalmann .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wiesbaden Business School, RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, Wiesbaden, Germany

    Klaus North

  2. School of Management, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    Ronald Maier

  3. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Bonn, Germany

    Oliver Haas

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Thalmann, S., Schäper, S. (2018). Localizing Knowledge in Networks of SMEs—Implication of Proximities on the IT Support. In: North, K., Maier, R., Haas, O. (eds) Knowledge Management in Digital Change. Progress in IS. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73546-7_11

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