Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to review extant research on outsourcing and knowledge competences to establish our understanding and to identify gaps justifying further research activities.
Design/methodology/approach - The study consists of a systematic review of refereed empirical articles on outsourcing and knowledge competences. In order to get access to the articles we used two scientific databases: ProQuest and Web of Science. As keywords we decided to use multiple keyword combinations. We only included peer reviewed articles published in English. Twelve papers were identified and analysed in the paper.
Originality/value - This methodology proofs evidence that there is a small number of papers addressing outsourcing and its consequences for KM sustainability.
Practical implications - The outcomes of this study can assist researchers, managers and consultants to better understand the link between outsourcing and the sustainability of KM. This can be useful for managers in particular as more specific measures can be derived.