Knowledge-exchange strategies between KIBS firms and their clients

Abstract

Based on a survey of 1124 knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) firms, this paper explores the extent and determinants of knowledge exchange between KIBS and their clients. An ordered logistic regression was estimated. The results show that the propensity of KIBS firms to rely more on a commoditization strategy and less on a personalization strategy increases with the variety of research sources of information, the number of knowledge employees, the variety of knowledge management practices, the firm's size, the business age, and being a KIBS firm operating in a technology-based industry rather than a traditional professional industry, while it decreases with R&D investments, the variety of advanced technologies, and the strength of ties.

Keywords:

• knowledge exchange
• tacit knowledge
• codified knowledge
• KIBS
• survey

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the financial support for this research from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (grant number 410-2005-0501)

Notes

For detailed information about the survey, see Doloreux, Amara, and Landry (2008).