Trust in Cognitive Interactions Between KIBS and Client Firms: a Multiple Case-study of Computer Services

The term knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) indicates private companies whose job consists in collecting, generating, analysing, and distributing knowledge with the purpose of delivering customized services to satisfy the client’s needs. KIBS rely on highly educated experts of specific technical disciplines or functional domains, and supply knowledge resources or other knowledge-based services that the clients are unable or unwilling to develop by themselves. The provision of KIBS entails a bilateral exchange of knowledge between the service provider and the end user along with the entire supply cycle. In this process, not only KIBS firms supply their clients with precious elements of technical and applicative knowledge, but also the client firms provide KIBS with pieces of knowledge that are necessary for designing a successful solution. As is well underlined by the Knowledge Management literature, any knowledge exchange requires a trustworthy environment, but this becomes critical when different organisations are involved. Accordingly, trust can be an essential ingredient of the transactions involving KIBS and their clients. However, the studies about the role of trust in the service delivery processes of KIBS companies are still scarce. The paper contributes to fill this gap by discussing the results of a multiple case-study of a particular group of KIBS, i.e. the computer service companies located in the Northeast of Italy. Specifically, the study: a) offers a knowledge-oriented description of the client-provider interactions occurring during the service delivery process; b) investigates the main mechanisms that govern such interactions; c) analyses the role played by trust, as antecedent and consequence of the interaction itself; d) makes some remarks about the development of trustworthy interactions between computer services companies and their clients.