Information technology resource, knowledge management capability, and competitive advantage: The moderating role of resource commitment

The role of information technology (IT) in knowledge management has always been a debatable topic in literature and practice. Despite existing documentation regarding the relationship between IT resource and knowledge management, limited information is available on the different types of IT resources describing this relationship. We integrate two research streams emerging in knowledge management and extend the literature on IT-knowledge management linkage by investigating the moderating role of resource commitment to invoke a contingent resource perspective. Data from 168 organizations in China provide empirical evidence that three types of IT resources (i.e., IT infrastructure, IT human, and IT relationship) positively affect knowledge management capability (KMC), which is positively related to competitive advantage. Furthermore, this study identifies two positive quasi-moderating effects of resource commitment on the IT resource-KMC relationship. Specifically, resource commitment directly and positively enhances KMC, and strengthens the effects of IT human and IT relationship resources on KMC. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the results. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.