5.2. 1. 1 knowledge transfer between different disciplines
Referring to the principal-agent theory and Porter's competitiveness theory, Zuo Meiyun [25] divides the knowledge transfer between subjects in the process of enterprise informatization into six types, namely, contract transfer, guidance transfer, reference transfer, constraint transfer, competitive transfer and adaptive transfer. Considering the difference between consultants and supervisors, reference transfer (referring to the process of transferring knowledge from other enterprises that have implemented ERP systems to enterprises that are implementing information projects, mainly experiences and lessons) and competition transfer (referring to the process of transferring knowledge from competitors to implementers, who may be competitors who jointly participate in bidding or partners who provide information solutions for the same industry or region) are omitted. The author reclassifies the types of knowledge transfer, as shown in Figure 5.3.
Figure 5.3 Knowledge transfer framework between ERP implementation entities
Contract-based transfer is a two-way knowledge transfer between the client and the agent to meet the explicit and implicit terms in the contract signed by both parties; Through the guiding transfer of supervision direction to enterprises, enterprises can acquire IT knowledge and reduce risks in information projects. Constraint transfer refers to the process of transferring knowledge from the supervisor to the system implementers (developers and consultants), which mainly involves risk and quality management. Adaptive transfer refers to the process of knowledge transfer between agents and their partners, which can be multinational enterprises that enter the domestic market to seek localization cooperation, or complementary manufacturers of implementers (such as consultants and developers); Organizational transfer refers to the process of knowledge transfer between enterprises and employees, which belongs to the category of knowledge transfer between individuals and organizations and involves the incentive mechanism of enterprises to employees. Learning transfer mainly refers to the process that employees get ERP ideas from consultants, and also includes consultants' familiarity and understanding of enterprises; Gradual transfer is a process in which employees participate in the system implementation process, collaborate with developers and learn from each other, and acquire information technology knowledge and corporate culture.
5. 1.2.2 knowledge transfer under different information
In the process of knowledge transfer, implementation consultants and system integration developers, as system implementers, are providers (sellers) of knowledge, while enterprises are recipients (buyers) of knowledge, and both sides try to maximize their own interests. However, in the process of system implementation, the value judgment of transferred knowledge is influenced by certain market environment, so that both parties may not reach a * * * knowledge [26]. According to the complete information and incomplete information in the game, knowledge transfer can be divided into four situations: complete information symmetry (I), provider dominance (II), incomplete information symmetry (III) and receiver dominance (IV) (Figure 5.4).
Figure 5.4 Four Cases of Knowledge Transfer
When the information is completely symmetrical, both the system implementer and the enterprise users can correctly evaluate the knowledge transferred in the process of ERP system implementation, and both sides can successfully complete the system development task with mutual trust. Obviously, this is an ideal situation, but its assumption has great limitations, which is difficult to see in the market environment [27]. Compared with consulting companies and system integrators, enterprises generally lack advanced information technology knowledge, especially the advanced management ideas of ERP systems, which makes implementers occupy a dominant and active position in the process of knowledge transfer, and further leads to the fact that provider dominance under asymmetric information has become a common phenomenon in reality, which is also the theoretical basis for many scholars to explore the introduction of supervision mechanism. In the specific enterprise process and architecture design, employees who are familiar with the business lack understanding of the core ideas of ERP system, while developers who master advanced technologies and ideas need to combine the actual situation of the enterprise. For example, Lenovo believes that the contribution rate of consulting experts to knowledge is 90% at the beginning of the project, but with the deepening of the project implementation, the contribution rate of users to knowledge in exploring the implementation path and solving problems has risen to 90%, which means that both sides have incomplete judgments on the value of knowledge, which involves new areas for both sides. Under the condition that the receiver is dominant, the enterprise can accurately judge whether the knowledge provided by the provider is good or bad, so that it can choose the appropriate implementer or punish the implementer with poor knowledge transfer effect. However, from the perspective of implementing ERP system in enterprises, this situation is unlikely to occur, and even if it exists, its research value is not great. So the following is only a theoretical analysis of II and III.