Investigating the impact of knowledge flow enablers on SC performance in Indian manufacturing organizations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test the relationship between supply chain knowledge flow enablers (SCKFEs), knowledge flow performance and supply chain (SC) performance (operational performance, customer satisfaction, and financial performance) for Indian manufacturing organizations. Design/methodology/approach A structured survey was used to collect the necessary data within the Indian manufacturing industry. Construct validity was conducted using convergent validity, reliability, and discriminant validity. Structural equation modeling was used to test the model. Findings The results of the study are tested based on data from 269 respondents from an Indian manufacturing organizations show positive influence: from SCKFEs to knowledge flow performance; knowledge flow performance to SC performance. In essence, the research reveals that the awareness to implement SCKFEs will increase the knowledge flow performance and SC performance. Practical implications The findings of this study are beneficial for decision-making authorities in the organization to know the importance of SCKFEs and their influence on knowledge flow performance and SC performance. Originality/value This is the unique study, which provides the theoretical framework which shows the relationship among SCKFEs, knowledge flow performance and SC performance and validates the framework with the help of an empirical study with Indian organizations.

[1]  T. Friedli,et al.  Turning sustainability into action: Explaining firms' sustainability efforts and their impact on firm performance , 2014 .

[2]  Alain Yee-Loong Chong,et al.  Influence of interorganizational relationships on SMEs' e-business adoption , 2009, Internet Res..

[3]  Sandra Ward,et al.  Keeping knowledge flowing in a downturn: Actions for knowledge and information managers , 2010 .

[4]  C. Yeh,et al.  Trust and knowledge sharing in green supply chains , 2008 .

[5]  Alain Yee-Loong Chong,et al.  Relationship between supply chain management practices and organisation performance: a case study in the Malaysian service industry , 2010 .

[6]  Stephen McLaughlin,et al.  Barrier impact on organizational learning within complex organizations , 2008, J. Knowl. Manag..

[7]  Minna Rollins,et al.  Inter‐firm customer knowledge sharing in logistics services: an empirical study , 2011 .

[8]  Paul A. Pavlou,et al.  From IT Leveraging Competence to Competitive Advantage in Turbulent Environments: The Case of New Product Development , 2006, Inf. Syst. Res..

[9]  Benita M. Beamon,et al.  Measuring supply chain performance , 1999 .

[10]  Bruce Thompson,et al.  The "significance" crisis in psychology and education , 2004 .

[11]  A. Ghobadian,et al.  Knowledge acquisition in supply chain partnerships: The role of power , 2013, International Journal of Production Economics.

[12]  Walter J.V. Vermeulen,et al.  Sustainable supply chain governance systems: conditions for effective market based governance in global trade. , 2010 .

[13]  Diego Jacob Kurtz,et al.  Uncovering the Knowledge Flows in Supply Chain Relationships , 2012 .

[14]  Baofeng Huo,et al.  The impact of dependence and trust on supply chain integration , 2013 .

[15]  Howard B. Lee,et al.  Foundations of Behavioral Research , 1973 .

[16]  Nevena T. Koukova,et al.  COPING WITH TIME PRESSURE AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING IN BUYER–SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS , 2011 .

[17]  Benn Lawson,et al.  Determinants of knowledge transfer in inter‐firm new product development projects , 2012 .

[18]  Jennifer L. Hartnett,et al.  Managing Quality: The Strategic and Competitive Edge , 1988 .

[19]  Jie Yang Harnessing value in knowledge management for performance in buyer–supplier collaboration , 2013 .

[20]  G. Perrone,et al.  A strategic needs perspective on operations outsourcing and other inter-firm relationships , 2013 .

[21]  M. Myers,et al.  Sharing Global Supply Chain Knowledge , 2008 .

[22]  Sachin B. Modi,et al.  Supplier development: Improving supplier performance through knowledge transfer , 2007 .

[23]  Laura Nash,et al.  Success that lasts. , 2004, Harvard business review.

[24]  Mahesh S. Raisinghani,et al.  Strategic decisions in supply‐chain intelligence using knowledge management: an analytic‐network‐process framework , 2005 .

[25]  A. Gunasekaran,et al.  A framework for supply chain performance measurement , 2004 .

[26]  K. Weick,et al.  Collective mind in organizations: Heedful interrelating on flight decks. , 1993 .

[27]  Mark Goh,et al.  Choice of supply chain governance: Self-managing or outsourcing? , 2014 .

[28]  Togar M. Simatupang,et al.  The knowledge of coordination for supply chain integration , 2002, Bus. Process. Manag. J..

[29]  D. Walker,et al.  Extending the knowledge advantage: Creating learning chains , 2007 .

[30]  Jiao Hu,et al.  Business Impact Analysis Based on Supply Chain's Knowledge Sharing ability , 2012 .

[31]  David S. Preston,et al.  Enhancing hospital supply chain performance: A relational view and empirical test , 2013 .

[32]  Wei Chen,et al.  Relational mechanisms, market contracts and cross‐enterprise knowledge trading in the supply chain: Empirical research based on Chinese manufacturing enterprises , 2012 .

[33]  Vincent Cheng-Siong Lee,et al.  A new multi-agent system framework for tacit knowledge management in manufacturing supply chains , 2009, J. Intell. Manuf..

[34]  Chad W. Autry,et al.  Does knowledge management facilitate logistics-based differentiation? the effect of global manufacturing reach , 2012 .

[35]  Alan D. Marwick,et al.  Knowledge management technology , 2001, IBM Syst. J..

[36]  Yadong Luo,et al.  How does justice matter in achieving buyer-supplier relationship performance? , 2012 .

[37]  K. Ganesh,et al.  Towards taxonomy architecture of knowledge management for third‐party logistics service provider , 2011 .

[38]  Alain Yee-Loong Chong,et al.  Predicting open IOS adoption in SMEs: An integrated SEM-neural network approach , 2014, Expert Syst. Appl..

[39]  B. Hoof Organizational learning in cleaner production among Mexican supply networks , 2014 .

[40]  Rupak Rauniar,et al.  Unravelling the link between knowledge management and supply chain integration: an empirical study , 2013 .

[41]  I. Chen,et al.  Towards a theory of supply chain management: the constructs and measurements , 2004 .

[42]  R. Sitgreaves Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). , 1979 .

[43]  Angappa Gunasekaran,et al.  Knowledge management in supply chain: An empirical study from France , 2011, J. Strateg. Inf. Syst..

[44]  Gulgun Kayakutlu,et al.  Effective supply value chain based on competence success , 2010 .

[45]  I. Nonaka,et al.  The Knowledge Creating Company , 2008 .

[46]  Gary W. Loveman,et al.  Putting the Service-Profit Chain to Work , 1994 .

[47]  S. Ahire,et al.  The impact of design management and process management on quality: an empirical investigation , 2000 .

[48]  Angel Cabrera,et al.  Knowledge-Sharing Dilemmas , 2002 .

[49]  Veera Pandiyan Sundram,et al.  Supply chain practices and performance: the indirect effects of supply chain integration , 2016 .

[50]  I. Nonaka,et al.  How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation , 1995 .

[51]  Ikujiro Nonaka,et al.  The knowledge-creating theory revisited: knowledge creation as a synthesizing process , 2003 .

[52]  S. C. L. Koh,et al.  The adoption of e‐business and knowledge management in SMEs , 2007 .

[53]  Tsung-Hsien Kuo,et al.  How expected benefit and trust influence knowledge sharing , 2013, Ind. Manag. Data Syst..

[54]  Bijaya Mishra,et al.  Knowledge Management Process in two Learning Organisations , 2011, J. Knowl. Manag..

[55]  M. Kotabe,et al.  Gaining from vertical partnerships : Knowledge transfer, relationship duration and supplier performance improvement in the U.S. and Japanese automotive industries , 2003 .

[56]  Kuan Yew Wong,et al.  Supply chain management, knowledge management capability, and their linkages towards firm performance , 2011, Bus. Process. Manag. J..

[57]  Wantao Yu,et al.  The effects of supply chain integration on customer satisfaction and financial performance: An organizational learning perspective , 2013 .

[58]  Dusya Vera,et al.  Dynamic capabilities and operational capabilities: A knowledge management perspective , 2007 .

[59]  F. F. Reichheld,et al.  Zero defections: quality comes to services. , 1990, Harvard business review.

[60]  Augustine A. Lado,et al.  Inter‐organizational communication as a relational competency: Antecedents and performance outcomes in collaborative buyer–supplier relationships , 2008 .

[61]  Jonathan D. Moizer,et al.  A knowledge chain management framework to support integrated decisions in global supply chains , 2014 .

[62]  Samar K. Mukhopadhyay,et al.  A review of RFID technology and its managerial applications in different industries , 2012 .

[63]  Thomas Y. Choi,et al.  The TQM Paradox: Relations among TQM practices, plant performance, and customer satisfaction , 1998 .

[64]  C. Rebolledo,et al.  Improving operational performance through knowledge exchange with customers , 2013 .

[65]  D. Gursoy,et al.  Employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and financial performance: An empirical examination , 2009 .

[66]  Dario Miocevic Organizational buying effectiveness in supply chain environment: A conceptual framework , 2008 .

[67]  Manu S. Madan,et al.  Information technology in managing global supply chains , 2000 .

[68]  Beomsoo Kim,et al.  Knowledge complementarity and knowledge exchange in supply channel relationships , 2012, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[69]  C. Blome,et al.  The Impact of Knowledge Transfer and Complexity on Supply Chain Flexibility: A Knowledge-Based View , 2013 .

[70]  Stelvia Matos,et al.  Incorporating impoverished communities in sustainable supply chains , 2010 .

[71]  Li Chen,et al.  Information Sharing and Order Variability Control Under a Generalized Demand Model , 2009, Manag. Sci..

[72]  L. Argote Organizational Learning: Creating, Retaining and Transferring Knowledge , 1999 .

[73]  Di Liang,et al.  A New Value Stream Mapping Technique Based on Material Flow, Information Flow and Knowledge Flow , 2013 .

[74]  Angappa Gunasekaran,et al.  Knowledge management in 21st century manufacturing , 2007 .

[75]  R. Sinkovics,et al.  The effects of supplier involvement and knowledge protection on product innovation in customer-supplier relationships: a study of global automotive suppliers in China , 2014 .

[76]  Gregory M. Magnan,et al.  Information sharing and supply chain performance: the role of connectivity and willingness , 2007 .

[77]  Stanley E. Fawcett,et al.  ENHANCING LOGISTICS PERFORMANCE TO IMPROVE THE COMPETITIVENESS OF MANUFACTURING ORGANIZATIONS , 1996 .

[78]  R. Schroeder,et al.  Relationships between implementation of TQM, JIT, and TPM and manufacturing performance , 2001 .

[79]  Barbara B. Flynn,et al.  The impact of supply chain integration on performance: A contingency and configuration approach , 2010 .

[80]  Subhash Wadhwa,et al.  Decision knowledge sharing: flexible supply chains in KM context , 2007 .

[81]  Zhongsheng Hua,et al.  The Impact of IT Capabilities on Firm Performance: The Mediating Roles of Absorptive Capacity and Supply Chain Agility , 2013, Decis. Support Syst..

[82]  Prakash J. Singh,et al.  Innovative knowledge sharing, supply chain integration and firm performance of Australian manufacturing firms , 2014 .

[83]  Thomas H. Davenport,et al.  Book review:Working knowledge: How organizations manage what they know. Thomas H. Davenport and Laurence Prusak. Harvard Business School Press, 1998. $29.95US. ISBN 0‐87584‐655‐6 , 1998 .

[84]  Alain Yee-Loong Chong,et al.  Do interorganisational relationships and knowledge-management practices enhance collaborative commerce adoption? , 2013 .

[85]  Murali Sambasivan,et al.  Impact of knowledge management in supply chain management: A study in Malaysian manufacturing companies , 2009 .