On the Role of Partners in a Multi-disciplinary Business Network: A Knowledge Management Perspective

Abstract
Creating a successful offering in a knowledgeintensive
industry often requires access to knowledge
that complements the core technological knowledge
of a firm. However, this complementary knowledge is
often tacit and hence costly to acquire. In this paper,
we investigate how a firm can acquire the necessary
complementary knowledge by leveraging partners in
its business network. Based on a multiple case study
of four Finnish enterprise software firms, we find that
engaging partners who possess both core and
complementary knowledge improves the efficiency
and effectiveness of knowledge transfer between the
focal firm and its customers. In addition, using
partners for this purpose allows the focal firm to
concentrate on developing its core competences,
which ultimately is the source of competitive
advantage and superior market and financial
performance. Our findings constitute a step towards
moving from dyadic to networked knowledge
acquisition models and understanding their impact on
firm performance.

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