Abstract
Business-to-business firms have a long history of investing in training their supply chain partners using primarily salespeople. However, advances in technology now allow for elements of sales enablement programs to be automated and run without human involvement. This paper examines how human and technology enablers are suited to transfer tacit and explicit knowledge respectively. It constructs a strategic enablement investment framework that, depending on the mix of investments in human or technology enablers, results in four types of learning environments: self-directed, collaborative, adaptive, and complex. We close by discussing the implications for future research and offer guidance for industrial marketing managers.
1. Introduction
Business-to-Business (B2B) firms that strategically invest in enabling their supply chain partners often realize deeper, more profitable relationships with these partners (De Leon & Chatterjee, 2017; De Ruyter, Keeling, & Cox, 2019). Moreover, B2B firms that have existing strategic enablement investments are better prepared to support their supply chain partners and enjoy increased mutual sales performance and endcustomer satisfaction across market conditions (Nyaga, Whipple, & Lynch, 2010). In light of the COVID-19 crisis, many recent strategic enablement investments are in augmenting or substituting current human-led training regimes with digital technologies to further advance knowledge acquisition and transfer (Diorio, 2020).
5.3. Concluding thoughts
Strategic enablement of supply chain partners is a key success factor for B2B firms, but how these firms develop and invest in these programs depends on what kind of knowledge needs to be transferred. Specifically, investments in human or technology enablers will depend on the relative focus on explicit knowledge (i.e., know what) and tacit knowledge (i.e., know how). These investments lead to differences in learning environments that can be adjusted and tailored to suit the firm's and partners' needs. We illustrate this complex relationship between human and technology enablers not only to discuss how managers can strategically invest in enablement programs, but also to set a future research agenda. As technology advances in both its sophistication and capabilities, a successful enablement strategy will require managers to understand the balance of strategic investments in human and technology enablers.
