Models and strategies for managing knowledge in networked environments: The viewpoint of small business

In the current economic crisis, the capability to rapidly innovate is increasingly essential. Since the single company can’t take all the risks of huge in-house R&D efforts, shared research activities, cooperation, and alliances in a context of “open innovation” tend to diffuse. Actually, the capability to network and share knowledge with others is becoming a key element of any business. The idea of networked inter-organizational models is not new, but what is essentially new is the global extension of these networks, the use of ICT applications, and especially the focus on knowledge as the crucial factor. The capability of networking regards not only the large corporations, but also the smaller units, that can’t rely on their traditional points of strength any more. The paper illustrates the findings of a large research project on the new inter-organizational networks. In particular it analyses and discusses the issues of managing knowledge as a key factor for small firms in networked environments.