T Kippenberger

Bio: T Kippenberger is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Virtual organization & Tacit knowledge. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 177 citations.

When is virtual virtuous

Abstract: Contends that ‘the virtues of being virtual have been oversold’, particularly regarding organization for innovation. Posits that managers need to consider other factors relevant to a virtual organization's ability to innovate — such as different forms of innovation and knowledge, these are: autonomous and systemic innovation; and codified and tacit knowledge. Recounts that companies like Intel and Microsoft have made extensive investments to continually develop their capabilities — arguing only large companies have the scale and scope to co‐ordinate complementary innovations

Communication Processes for Virtual Organizations

Abstract: Communication is fundamental to any form of organizing but is preeminent in virtual organizations. Virtual organizations are characterized by (a) highly dynamic processes, (b) contractual relationships among entities, (c) edgeless, permeable boundaries, and (d) reconfigurable structures. Relative to more traditional settings, communication processes that occur in virtual contexts are expected to be rapid, customized, temporary, greater in volume, more formal, and more relationship-based. To glean insight into communication processes for virtual organizations, we draw on the rich body of literature on synchronous and asynchronous electronic organizational communication. The vast set of empirical findings regarding mediated communication can foreshadow how communication will change as firms “go virtual.” Six areas of electronic communication research provide implications for the major aspects of virtual organization design: (1) communication volume and efficiency, (2) message understanding, (3) virtual tasks, (4) lateral communication, (5) norms of technology use, and (6) evolutionary effects.

Disruption, disintegration and the dissipation of differentiability

Abstract: This paper proposes a deductively derived model to help managers who preside over decisions to integrate or outsource to assess ex ante whether, when and why it might be strategically and competitively important to develop internal capabilities to perform certain activities in-house, and when it would be sensible and safe to outsource elements of value-added Among the paper’s conclusions are that the competitive advantage from vertical integration is strongest in tiers of the market where customers are under-served by the functionality or performance available from products in the market Vertical integration tends to be a disadvantage when customers are over-served by the functionality available from products in the market Vertically integrated firms will therefore often dominate in the most demanding tiers of markets that have grown to substantial size, while a horizontally stratified, or disintegrated, industry structure will often be the dominant business model in the tiers of the market that are less demanding of functionality

Trends and determinants of managing virtual R&D teams

Abstract: The past years have seen a decentralization of R&D to local markets and centres-of-excellence. Supported by modern information and communication technologies, ‘virtual project teams' were formed to facilitate transnational innovation processes. With their boundaries expanding and shrinking flexibly with changing project necessities, virtual teams are believed to be an important element in future R&D organization. Based on 204 interviews with R&D directors and project managers in 37 technology-intensive multinational companies we identify four distinct forms of virtual team organizations used to execute R&D projects across multiple locations. Ordered by increasing degree of central project coordination, these four team concepts are based on: (1) decentralized self-organization, (2) a system integrator as a coordinator, (3) a core team as a system architect, and (4) a centralized venture team. Our contingency approach for organizing a transnational R&D project is based on four principal determinants: (1) the type of innovation (radical/incremental), (2) the systemic nature of the project (systemic/autonomous), (3) the mode of knowledge involved (tacit/explicit), and (4) the degree of resource bundling (complementary/redundant). According to our analysis, the success of virtual teams depends on the appropriate consideration of these determinants.

Information systems outsourcing: a study of pre-event firm characteristics

Abstract: Researchers in information systems (IS) propose several reasons why firms outsource their IS, including reducing costs, generating cash, focusing on core competencies, and gaining access to technical expertise. We examine support for these assertions by comparing the financial characteristics of firms that enter into large-scale IS outsourcing agreements with those of other firms in their respective industries prior to outsourcing. A year-by-year comparison around the time of outsourcing indicates that firms that outsource their IS have significantly lower overhead costs, lower cash reserves, and higher debt before the outsourcing event. Analysis of changes in financial characteristics reveals an increase in long-term debt and financial leverage and declining growth rates prior to the outsourcing event. We argue that firms enter into large-scale IS outsourcing agreements primarily to reduce costs and to generate cash. Consequently, they are more likely to outsource when they have lower cash reserves, higher debt, or declining growth. The management objectives stated in the annual reports of these companies at the time of outsourcing corroborate our major findings.