The knowledge management mechanism in CoPS innovation

Complex product and systems (CoPS) are composed of various components, including hardware and embedded software, which need a lot of multitechnology and inter-discipline input. The CoPS projects are developed under an innovation network, which need knowledge management mechanism to increase the communication among all participants. This paper discusses the knowledge management mechanism which affecting CoPS innovation. Not only the direct effects but also the indirect effects which independent variables have on knowledge management and CoPS innovation are explored. This work consists of several components: (1) an introduction of why CoPS need KM, (2) a brief review of some literature on CoPS innovation and KM, (3) the design of research, including the model of how independent variables influence KM and CoPS innovation, and the data collection by questionnaires, (4) the data analysis, verifying the hypothesis put forward in section 3, and (5) some managerial implications for CoPS innovation.