Knowledge management initiatives in a global IT outsourcing company: A case study of infosys technologies

Abstract

Organizations position their formal Knowledge Management (KM) initiatives as a continuous process of deriving strategic benefits from the knowledge resources dispersed in the various internal constituencies. Thus, gaining a deeper awareness of the diverse viewpoints and attributes of their various units is a big challenge for organizations embracing formal KM strategies. Even with the challenges of organization-wide KM forming the theme of a number of studies, we see that these studies mostly feature organizations outside the Asian continent. The KM strategies of Asian organizations remain a relatively uncharted territory. This paper focuses on the KM strategies of Infosys Technologies, a leading Asian Information Technology (IT) firm. Adopting the case study methodology, we look at the consequences of initiating organization-wide formal KM, in four different organizational units within the company. Evidence from the case highlights the unfolding of unintended and intended consequences in the four units, and organizational efforts to reconcile them. Taking a subcultural perspective of the four units offers useful insights in understanding the consequences. The theoretical and managerial contributions of the study to the knowledge management arena are discussed. © 2004 iKMS & World Scientific Publishing Co.