Skip to main content

Distributed Knowledge and Creativity in the International Software Industry

  • Chapter

Part of the book series: mir Special Issue ((MIR))

Abstract

The growth of outsourcing of intellectual work has provoked a major debate in wealthy countries concerning the loss of jobs to developing countries. However, what is the limit to this distribution of work?

We interviewed several software and client companies as well as conducted extended field research. The qualitative work was matched by a questionnaire.

We would like to thank INSEAD for the funding of this research and Professor Uwe Fischer for the opportunity to contribute to this collection in honor of Professor Klaus Macharzina.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Almeida, P., Kogut, B., Localization of Knowledge and the Mobility of Engineers in Regional Networks, Management Science, 45, 7, 1999, pp. 905–917.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arunachalam, V., Dilla, W., Computer-mediated Communication and Structured Interaction in Transfer Pricing Negotiation, Journal of Information Systems, 6, 2, 1992, pp. 149–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Babbage, C., On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures, fourth edition, London: C. Knight 1835.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, G. S., Murphy, K. M., The Division of Labor, Coordination Costs, and Knowledge, Quarterly Journal of Economics, CVII, 1992, pp. 1137–1160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, F. P. Jr., The Mythical Man-Month, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. S., Duguid, P., Organizational Learning and Communities-Of-Practice: Toward a Unified View of Working, Learning, and Innovating, Organization Science 2, 1, 1991, pp. 40–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chidambaram, L., Bostrom, R. P./Wynne, B. E., The Impact of GDSS on Group Development, Journal of Management Information Systems, 7, 3, 1991, pp. 3–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, K. B., Fujimoto, T., Product Development Performance: Strategy, Organization, and Management in the World Auto Industry, Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cockburn, I. M., Henderson, R. M., Absorptive Capacity, Coauthoring Behavior, and the Organization of Research in Drug Discovery, Journal of Industrial Economics, 46, 2, 1998, pp. 157–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cummings, A., Schlosser, A., Arrow, H., Developing Complex Group Products: Idea Combination in Computer-Mediated and Face-to-Face Groups, Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 4, 1995, pp. 229–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cusumano, M. A., Japan’s Software Factories, New York: Oxford University Press 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cusumano, M. A., Kemerer, C. F. A., Quantitative Analysis of US and Japanese Practice and Performance in Software Development, Management Science 36, 11, 1990, pp. 1384–1406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daft, R., Lengel, R., Organizational Information Requirements, Media Richness and Structural Design, Management Science, 32, 1986, pp. 554–571.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daly, B., The influence of Face-to-Face Versus Computer-mediated Communication Channels on Collective Induction, Accounting, Management & Information Technology, 3, 1, 1993, pp. 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dewar, R. D., Dutton, J. E., The Adoption of Radical and Incremental Innovations: An Empirical Analysis, Management Science, 32, 1986, pp. 1422–1433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubrovsky, V., Kiesler, S., Sethna, B., The Equalization Phenomenon: Status Effects in Computer- and Face-to-Face Decision-making Groups, Human-Computer Interaction, 6, 1991, pp. 119–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galbraith, J., Organizational Design, Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallupe, R. B., DeSanctis, G., Dickson, G., Computer-based Support for Group Problem Solving: An Experimental Investigation, MIS Quarterly, 12, 1988, pp. 277–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallupe, R. B., McKeen, J., Enhancing Computer-mediated Communication: An Experimental Study into the Use of a Decision Support System for Face-to-Face versus Remote Meetings, Information and Management, 18, 1990, pp. 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallupe, R. B., Denis, A. R., Cooper, W. H., Valacich, J. S., Bastianutti, L. M., Nunamaker, J. F., Electronic Brainstorming and Group Size, Academy of Management Journal, 35, 1992, pp. 350–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, M. K., Sternberg, R. J., Novelty and Intelligence, in Sternberg, R. J., Wagner, R. K. (eds.), Mind in Context: Interactionist Perspectives on Human Intelligence, New York: Cambridge University Press 1994, pp. 38–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • George, J., Easton, G., Nunamaker, J., Northcraft, G., A Study of Collaborative Group Work with and without Computer-based Support, Information Systems Research, 1, 4, 1990, pp. 394–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, M., The Search-Transfer Problem: The Role of Weak Ties in Sharing Knowledge Across Organization Subunits, Administrative Science Quarterly, 44, 1999, pp. 82–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hedlund, J., Ilgen, D. R., Hollenbeck, J. R., The Effect of Computer-mediated versus Face-to-Face Communication on Decision Making in Hierarchical Teams, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 76, 1998, pp. 30–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hiltz, S. R., Johnson, K., Turoff, M., Experiments in Group Decision Making: Communication Process and Outcome in Face-to-Face versus Computerized Conferences, Human Communication Research, 13, 1986, pp. 225–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hollingshead, A. B., Information Suppression and Status Persistence in Group Decision Making: The Effects of Communication Media, Human Communication Research, 23, 1996a, pp. 193–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hollingshead, A. B., The Rank-order Effect in Group Decision Making, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 68, 1996b, pp. 181–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hollingshead, A., McGrath, J. E., O’Connor, K. M., Group Performance and Communication Technology: A Longitudinal Study of Computer-Mediated versus Face-to-Face Work Groups, Small Group Research, 24, 3, 1993, pp. 307–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kameda, T. M., Stasson, F., Davis, J. H., Parks, C. D., Zimmerman, S. K., Social Dilemmas, Subgroups, and Motivation Loss in Task-oriented Groups: In Search of an “Optimal” Team Size in Division of Work, Social Psychology Quarterly, 55, 1992, pp. 47–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kiesler, S., Zubrow, D., Moses, A. M., Geller, V., Affect in Computer-mediated Communication: An Experiment in Synchronous Terminal-to-Terminal Discussion, Human Computer Interaction, 1, 1985, pp. 77–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kogut, B., Metiu, A., Open Source Software Development and Distributed Innovation, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 17, 2, 2001, pp. 248–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kogut, B., Zander, U., 1992, Knowledge of the Firm, Combinative Capabilities, and the Replication of Technology, Organization Science, 3, 1992, pp. 383–397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kogut, B., Zander, U., Knowledge of the Firm and the Evolutionary Theory of the Multinational Enterprise, Journal of International Business Studies, 24, 1993, pp. 625–645; reprinted in Egelhoff, W. G. (ed.) Transforming International Organizations, Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 1997.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kraut, R. E., Streeter, L. A., Coordination in Software Development, Communications of the ACM, 38, 1995, pp. 69–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lacity, M.C., Willcocks, L. P., Feeny, D. F., The Value of Selective IT Sourcing, Sloan Management Review, Spring 1996, pp. 13–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lave, J., Wenger, E., Situated Learning, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGrath, J. E., Hollingshead, A. B., Groups Interacting with Technology, Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGuire, T. W., Kiesler, S., Siegel, J., Group and Computer-mediated Discussion Effects in Risk Decision Making, Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 52, 1987, pp. 917–930.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKenney, J. L., Zack, M. H., Doherty, V. S., Complementary Communication Media: A Comparison of Electronic Mail and Face-To-Face Communication in a Programming Team, in Nohria N., Eccles, R. G. (eds.), Networks and Organizations, Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press 1992, pp. 262–287.

    Google Scholar 

  • McLeod, P. L., Liker, J. K., Electronic Meeting Systems: Evidence from a Low Structure Environment, Information Systems Research, 3, 1992, pp. 195–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Metiu, A., Faraway, So Close: Code Ownership over Innovative Work in the Global Software Industry, Unpublished dissertation, The Wharton School 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, P., Richmond, W., Seidmann, A., Two Dimensions of Software Acquisition, Communications of the ACM, 39, 1996, pp. 29–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nohria, N., Eccles, R. G., Face-to-Face: Making Network Organizations Work, in Nohria N., Eccles, R. G. (eds.), Networks and Organizations, Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perrow, C., A Framework for the Comparative Analysis of Organizations, American Sociology Review, 32, 1967, pp. 194–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perrow, C., Organizational Analysis: A Sociological View, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1970.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reid F. J. M., Ball, L. J., Morley, A. M., Evans, J. S. T., Styles of Group Discussion in Computer-mediated Decision Making, British Journal of Social Psychology, 36, 1997, pp. 241–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richmond, W. B., Seidmann, A., Whinston, A. B., Incomplete Contracting Issues in Information Systems Development Outsourcing, Decision Support System, 8, 4, 1992, pp. 459–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, E., Diffusion of Innovations, New York: Free Press 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saxenian, A., Regional Advantage: Culture and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, J., Dubrovsky, V., Kiesler, S., McGuire, T., Group process in computer-mediated communication, Organizational Behavior & Human Decision Processes, 37, 1986, pp. 157–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J., Vanecek, M., Dispersed Group Decision Making Using Nonsimultaneous Computer Conferencing: A Report of Research, Journal of Management Science, 7, 2, 1990, pp. 71–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spears, R., Lea, M., Panacea or Panopticon: The Hidden Power in Computer-Mediated Communication, Communication Research, 21, 1994, pp. 427–459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sproull, L., Kiesler, S., Reducing Social Context Cues: Electronic Mail in Organizational Communication, Management Science, 32, 1986, pp. 1492–1512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Straus, S. G., McGrath, J. E., Does the Medium Matter? The Interaction of Task Type and Technology on Group Performance and Member Reactions, Journal of Applied Psychology, 79, 1994, pp. 87–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Straus, S., Does the Medium Matter: An Investigation of Process, Performance and Affect in Computer-mediated and Face-to-Face Groups, Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  • Szulanski, G., Exploring Internal Stickiness: Impediments to the Transfer of Best Practice within the Firm, Strategic Management Journal, 17, 1996, pp. 27–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ure, A., The Philosophy of Manufactures, London: C. Knight 1835.

    Google Scholar 

  • Von Hippel, E., The Sources of Innovation, NY, NY: Oxford University Press 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  • Von Hippel, E., ‘Sticky Information’ and the Locus of Problem Solving: Implications for Innovation, Management Science, 40, 1994, pp. 429–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, E., Barron, T., Seidmann, A., Contracting Structures for Custom Software Development: The Impacts of Informational Rents and Uncertainty on Internal Development and Outsourcing, Management Science, 43, 1997, pp. 1726–1744.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weisband, S. P., Group Discussion and First Advocacy Effects in Computer-mediated and Face-to-Face Decision Making Groups, Organizational Behavior & Human Decision Processes, 53, 1992, pp. 157–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weisband, S. P., Schneider, S. K., Connolly, T., Computer-mediated Communication and Social Information: Status Salience and Status Differences, Academy of Management Journal, 38, 1995, pp. 1124–1151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whang, S., Contracting for Software Development, Management Science. 38, 3, 1992, pp. 307–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winter, S., Knowledge and Competence as Strategic Assets, in Teece, D. (ed.), The Competitive Challenge-Strategie s for Industrial Innovation and Renewal, Cambridge, MA: Ballinger 1987, pp. 159–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zander, U., Kogut, B., Knowledge and the Speed of the Transfer and Imitation of Organizational Capabilities: An Empirical Test, Organization Science, 6, 1995, pp. 76–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2004 Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Metiu, A.M., Kogut, B. (2004). Distributed Knowledge and Creativity in the International Software Industry. In: Macharzina, K., Oesterle, MJ., Wolf, J. (eds) Management International Review. mir Special Issue. Gabler Verlag, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-91001-1_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-91001-1_3

  • Publisher Name: Gabler Verlag, Wiesbaden

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-409-12719-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-322-91001-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics