Knowledge Retention (KR) is vital for information systems development (ISD) as information technology (IT) professionals rely on accumulated technical and organizational knowledge to develop and maintain information systems. To help organizations better understand KR in the ISD context, we explore the erosion of KR practices arising from staff churn and the aftermath of a major earthquake in an ISD unit in a financial organization in New Zealand. In this preliminary study, we develop a causal model of KR in the ISD context, which articulates the barriers, challenges, and consequences of ineffective KR for at the routine and exiting stages. Our model identifies four barriers and challenges-coordination complexity, resources for knowledge retention, attention to knowledge retention, and process for hiring and handoverwhich can affect the loss of ISD knowledge when routine and exiting KR fall into disarray. We also provide implications for practitioners regarding KR in the ISD context.
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.
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