Knowledge Retention Challenges in Information Systems Development Teams: A Revelatory Story From Developers in New Zealand

Yi-Te Chiu, Kristijan Mirkovski, Jocelyn Cranefield, Shruthi Shankar

Source Title: International Journal of Knowledge Management (IJKM)18(1)

ISSN: 1548-0666|EISSN: 1548-0658|EISBN13: 9781799893608|DOI: 10.4018/IJKM.291096

MLA

Chiu, Yi-Te, et al. "Knowledge Retention Challenges in Information Systems Development Teams: A Revelatory Story From Developers in New Zealand." IJKM vol.18, no.1 2022: pp.1-25. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJKM.291096

APA

Chiu, Y., Mirkovski, K., Cranefield, J., & Shankar, S. (2022). Knowledge Retention Challenges in Information Systems Development Teams: A Revelatory Story From Developers in New Zealand. International Journal of Knowledge Management (IJKM), 18(1), 1-25. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJKM.291096

Chicago

Chiu, Yi-Te, et al. "Knowledge Retention Challenges in Information Systems Development Teams: A Revelatory Story From Developers in New Zealand," International Journal of Knowledge Management (IJKM) 18, no.1: 1-25. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJKM.291096

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Abstract

Information systems development (ISD) is an integral part of organizational agility in today’s competitive business environment. High turnover, agile ways of working, and fluid work environments pose challenges for ISD. This paper explores the erosion of knowledge retention (KR) arising from ISD staff churn in a New Zealand-based financial organization in the aftermath of a major earthquake. In this exploratory study, the authors develop a causal model of KR in the ISD context, which articulates the challenges to and consequences of ineffective KR at the routine and exiting stages of KR. The model identifies four challenges—coordination complexity, insufficient resources for knowledge retention, insufficient attention to knowledge retention, and slow staff replacement and handover processes—that can affect the loss of ISD knowledge when routine and exiting KR fall into disarray. This study also reveals that role stress and reduced ISD agility reinforce the cycle of knowledge loss.