Examining the influence of modularity and knowledge management (KM) on dynamic capabilities: Insights from a call center

M.N. Ravishankar and Shan L. Pan

International Journal of Information Management, 2013, vol. 33, issue 1, 147-159

Abstract: Modularity in organizations can facilitate the creation and development of dynamic capabilities. Paradoxically, however, modular management can also stifle the strategic potential of such capabilities by conflicting with the horizontal integration of units. We address these issues through an examination of how modular management of information technology (IT), project teams and front-line personnel in concert with knowledge management (KM) interventions influence the creation and development of dynamic capabilities at a large Asia-based call center. Our findings suggest that a full capitalization of the efficiencies created by modularity may be closely linked to the strategic sense making abilities of senior managers to assess the long-term business value of the dominant designs available in the market. Drawing on our analysis we build a modular management-KM-dynamic capabilities model, which highlights the evolution of three different levels of dynamic capabilities and also suggests an inherent complementarity between modular and integrated approaches.

Keywords: Asia; Call center; Case study; Knowledge management; Modularity, Dynamic capabilities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268401212001016
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ininma:v:33:y:2013:i:1:p:147-159

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2012.08.003

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Information Management is currently edited by Yogesh K. Dwivedi

More articles in International Journal of Information Management from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().