Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
submittedVersion
Publication Date
12-2009
Abstract
The resource-based view of the firm emphasizes the role of firm-specific resources, especially firm-specific knowledge resources, in helping a firm to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. However, the deployment of firm-specific knowledge often requires key employees to make specialized human capital investments that are not easily redeployable to other settings. Thus, in the absence of effective safeguards and trust building devices, employees with foresight may be reluctant to make such specialized investments. This study explores both economic- and relationship-based governance mechanisms that might mitigate this underinvestment problem. Effective use of these governance mechanisms enables a firm to obtain greater performance from its efforts to deploy firm-specific knowledge resources. Empirical results further support these key arguments.
Keywords
Firm-specific knowledge resources, employee human capital, employee governance mechanisms, resource-based view of the firm
Discipline
Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics | Strategic Management Policy
Research Areas
Strategy and Organisation
Publication
Strategic Management Journal
Volume
30
Issue
12
First Page
1265
Last Page
1285
ISSN
0143-2095
Identifier
10.1002/smj.787
Publisher
Wiley
Citation
WANG, Heli; HE, Jinyu; and MAHONEY, Joseph T..
Firm-specific knowledge resources and competitive advantage: The roles of economic- and relationship-based employee governance mechanisms. (2009). Strategic Management Journal. 30, (12), 1265-1285.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/3447
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.787
Included in
Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics Commons, Strategic Management Policy Commons