The knowledge-bridging process in software offshoring from Japan to Vietnam

Abstract

The role of coordinators in highly knowledge-intensive international business has been increasingly portrayed as filling the communication, cross-cultural, social gaps; or facilitators of knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer. However, they do not mention the process coordinators cooperate with partners to create new knowledge; whereas a critical issue is to facilitate the collaboration among partners in international and cross-cultural context. Our study bridges this gap by studying the knowledge-bridging process of bridge System Engineers (bridge SEs) in the software offshore development context. Our analysis pointed out that beside required knowledge, bridge SEs utilized background of long term residence or study abroad; and "bridging-knowledge" to adjust communication contents before information is sent from one side to another. Based on the theoretical work of Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) and empirical evidence of bridge SEs in Software Offshoring from Japan to Vietnam; we further develop the model of Knowledge-bridging process to show how the bridge SEs, the vendor and the client interact to create technological, business, bridging knowledge and decrease the cultural gaps.