Research On Boundary Spanning Activities Of Software Outsourcing Team Based On Knowledge Management

As the differences of knowledge domains and dispersion of knowledge sources, it is difficult for clients and vendors from software outsourcing project to form an effective awareness and collaboration. It’s difficult for vendors to get knowledge from clients through knowledge boundary. In this study, we introduce the knowledge boundary theory and take an empirical research to verify if knowledge boundary spanning has an effect on project performance. Previous studies have proved that knowledge integration has a positive effect on project performance, knowledge integration requires knowledge boundary spanning, and mechanisms of knowledge boundary (such as boundary spanner and boundary object) are embedded in boundary spanning activities and have a positive effect on knowledge boundary spanning. In view of the behaviors and the roles of boundary spanning activities, this study suggests that boundary spanning activities have a positive effect on knowledge integration, that to span knowledge boundary and promote project performance.Firstly, this research studied the theory of team boundary spanning activities and the theory of project management, create dimensionality for the vendor’s team boundary spanning activities; studied the theory of knowledge management simultaneously, create dimensionality for knowledge boundary and project performance, then constructed a theoretical model and proposed theoretical assumptions. Secondly, this research took a questionnaire survey in Dalian Software Park. Thirdly, this research used structural equation model to validate the effectiveness of the model and test the hypothesis. The purpose is to ascertain the influence of team boundary spanning activities (representation activity, coordination activity, scout activity) on knowledge boundary, study the effect of knowledge management on team boundary spanning, discuss how software outsourcing vendors effectively span team boundary to improve project performance. This study reach the following conclusions:(1) Both coordination activity and scout activity in software outsourcing project team have a positive influence on the span of knowledge boundary, while representation activity has no influence on the span of knowledge boundary.(2) Both representation activity, coordination activity and scout activity in software outsourcing project team have a positive influence on project performance. (3) The span of knowledge boundary is conducive to enhance project performance.The conclusion of the study can help us to understand the coordination mechanism of knowledge transfer in software outsourcing team and provide theoretical support and paradigm reference for vendors in China to accumulate knowledge and improve the success rate of projects in the context of software project development.