Management Recommendations for Inter-organizational Knowledge Sharing Driven by Digital Innovation: A Practical Analysis Based on COSMOPlat
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/5afxay54Keywords:
Digital innovation, Inter-organizational knowledge sharing, Industrial internet platform, Modular governanceAbstract
Against the backdrop of the deep integration of the digital economy and the manufacturing sector, traditional inter-organizational knowledge sharing generally faces persistent pain points, including high trust costs, low circulation efficiency, and the difficulty of balancing security and openness. Industrial internet platforms offer a brand-new pathway to address these dilemmas. Taking Haier’s COSMOPlat as the empirical case, this paper systematically analyzes the architectural support, governance logic and practical system through which digital innovation enables inter-organizational knowledge sharing. The research demonstrates that COSMOPlat builds a digital foundation for knowledge circulation via a four-layer structure comprising the resource layer, platform layer, application layer and business model layer. It adopts modular governance featuring "closed core modules and open peripheral modules" to strike a balance between security control and ecological openness, and ultimately establishes a four-in-one inter-organizational knowledge sharing system integrating resources, technology, data and capabilities. This system upgrades knowledge flow from one-way transmission to multi-directional co-creation, and from linear delivery to dynamic iteration. Building on the practical logic and existing limitations, this paper puts forward management suggestions from four dimensions: technical architecture, governance mechanism, knowledge operation and ecological collaboration, so as to provide practical reference for manufacturing enterprises to improve inter-organizational knowledge sharing mechanisms based on industrial internet platforms.
Downloads
References
[1] Li, H., Yang, Z., Jin, C., et al. (2023). How an industrial internet platform empowers the digital transformation of SMEs: Theoretical mechanism and business model. Journal of Knowledge Management, 27(1), 105–120. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-09-2022-0757
[2] Li, Z., Wang, W. M., Liu, G., et al. (2018). Toward open manufacturing: A cross enterprises knowledge and services exchange framework based on blockchain and edge computing. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 118(9), 303–320. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-04-2017-0142
[3] Li, Z., Barenji, A. V., & Huang, G. Q. (2018). Toward a blockchain cloud manufacturing system as a peer to peer distributed network platform. Robotics and Computer Integrated Manufacturing, 54, 133–144. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcim.2018.05.011
[4] Pennekamp, J., Belova, A., Bergs, T., et al. (2024). Evolving the digital industrial infrastructure for production: Steps taken and the road ahead. Interdisciplinary Excellence Accelerator Series, 35–60. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44497-5_2
[5] O'Mahony, S., & Karp, R. (2022). From proprietary to collective governance: How do platform participation strategies evolve? Strategic Management Journal, 43(3), 530–562. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3150
[6] Menon, K., Krkkinen, H., & Gupta, J. (2016). Role of industrial internet platforms in the management of product lifecycle related information and knowledge. In Proceedings of the 13th IFIP International Conference on Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) (pp. 549–558). IEEE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54660-5_49
[7] Chen, L., Xie, H., Yang, W., et al. (2022). Data space based on mass customization model. In Designing data spaces (pp. 437–450). Springer International Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93975-5_26
[8] Xie, Y., & Li, Y. (2020). Research on Haier COSMOPlat promoting upstream and downstream industrial collaboration and cross border integration. In Proceedings of the 2020 IEEE 7th International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Applications (ICIEA). IEEE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICIEA49774.2020.9102092
[9] Liu, Y., Zhu, X., Zhang, M., et al. (2025). Different roles, different strokes: Disseminating e wom in industrial internet platform through multi actor value co creation. Psychology & Marketing, 42(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.22128
[10] Peng, J., Xu, L., Fu, P. P., et al. (2025). Developing platform based multilateral interactions—A case study of COSMOPlat. In Academy of Management Proceedings. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/AMPROC.2025.19946abstract
[11] Li, H., Yang, Z., Wang, H., et al. (2025). Digitalization of business models, knowledge management and green technology innovation of Chinese manufacturing enterprises: A mixed analysis based on the Haier COSMOPlat ecosystem. Asia Pacific Business Review, 31(5), 962–990. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13602381.2023.2282116
[12] Fan, Z., Zhang, X., Sun, L., et al. (2025). Exploring the effect of industrial internet platform utilization on technology management capability in SMEs: Evidence from China. SAGE Open, 15(4), 107–136. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251392715
[13] Han, J., Wang, B., Han, J., et al. (2026). Industrial internet data management framework with blockchain integration for data integrity assurance and access control resolution. Scientific Reports, 16(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-41895-4
[14] Schoemaker, P. J. H., Heaton, S., & Mei, L. (forthcoming). Managing synergies among digital platforms: How Haier pioneered integrating open innovations. Strategic Management Review.
[15] Dias, D., Silva, J. S., Boavida, F., et al. (2017). Knowledge and technology transfer between university–industry–society: A new crowd sourcing framework for Internet of Things. In Proceedings of the 2017 IEEE International Conference on Microwaves, Antennas, Communications and Electronic Systems (COMCAS). IEEE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/COMCAS.2017.8244757
[16] Jin, X. (2025). Innovation platform users' knowledge sharing decision mechanisms: A network evolutionary game model for enterprises in China. SAGE Open, 15(3). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251357139
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of World Economic Research

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.









