This chapter surveys knowledge processes in group contexts involving collaboration between people who are more diverse and heterogeneous. It explains why boundary-spanning collaboration is so important and widely used, as well as the benefits that can be derived from this form of collaboration. The chapter then looks at the character of boundary-spanning knowledge processes, outlining how the lack of common knowledge and shared identity shape their dynamics. Next, Carlile's (2002, 2004) influential work is used to distinguish between the types of boundaries that can be involved in boundary-spanning. Finally, it considers the way that boundary-spanning knowledge processes can be facilitated and managed, such as through the use of boundary objects and the management of cross-boundary social relations via the activities of brokers and boundary-spanners.
Chapter
Boundary-Spanning Knowledge Processes in Heterogeneous Collaborations
Chapter
Communities of Practice
This chapter analyses the internal dynamics of communities of practice as well as the different types of communities of practice, and how and if they can be managed. It starts with defining communities of practice and describing the term's origins, features, and dynamics. Then it talks about the intra-community knowledge processes that take place inside a community of practice. Different types of communities of practice are introduced. How social network analysis can help to visualize the network sharing relations in a community and how it can be used to probe problems that need attention is also discussed. The chapter closes by presenting some critical perspectives on communities of practice.
Chapter
The Contemporary Importance of Knowledge and Knowledge Management
This chapter looks at the contemporary importance of knowledge and knowledge management. It provides an overview on how knowledge management has gained widespread interest. Then it outlines and explains key assumptions in knowledge management literature. The knowledge society concept and its links to Bell's post-industrial society concept is also discussed. The chapter then makes a critical evaluation of the knowledge society concept. Finally, it presents the general aims and philosophy of the book, as well as outlining the themes and issues examined in each chapter.
Chapter
Facilitating Knowledge Management via the Use of Human Resource Management Practices
The focus of this chapter is on how different human resource management (HRM) practices can impact workers' attitudes towards, and participation in, knowledge management activities. The chapter begins by outlining two distinct reasons why HRM practices can be used to support organizational knowledge management activities. The next section demonstrates how a range of specific HRM practices such as job design, recruitment and selection, and training can all be used to reinforce and support organizational knowledge management efforts. Then, it considers the importance of staff loyalty and retention to organizational knowledge management activities. It also provides a range of ways that organizations can attempt to develop the loyalty of their staff and thus help to prevent the loss of potentially vital sources of knowledge through the loss of staff.
Chapter
The Influence of Socio-cultural Factors in Motivating Workers to Participate in Knowledge Management Initiatives
This chapter provides an overview of the influence of human, cultural, and social dimensions in motivating workers to participate in knowledge management processes. It begins by conceptualizing the decision workers face about whether to participate in knowledge management initiatives as being comparable to a public good dilemma. It then moves on to an examination of how the context in which most knowledge management initiatives occur. These shapes workers' attitudes to knowledge management processes by influencing the nature of the relationship between employers/managers and workers, and also inter-personal relations between workers. Then, the chapter looks at the role of inter-personal trust and how a worker's sense of belonging to work groups shapes their willingness to codify and share knowledge with colleagues. The chapter closes by examining the literature which considers the influence that national culture and individual personality can have in shaping people's attitudes to participating in knowledge activities.
Chapter
Innovation and Knowledge Processes
This chapter focuses on organizational-level innovation and examines the innovation process. It presents some of the key components of knowledge creation theory, including the distinctive epistemology it is founded on, how knowledge creation is achieved through the conversion of knowledge from one form to another, and the role of space (ba) in knowledge. Then the chapter discusses some of the main critiques that have been made of knowledge creation theory which relate to its epistemology and its level of cultural generalizability. The chapter elaborates relevant parts of Crossan and Apaydin's (2010) model. It closes with an extended illustration on the role of absorptive capacity in innovation processes.
Book
Donald Hislop, Rachelle Bosua, and Remko Helms
Knowledge Management in Organizations
consists of six parts. The first part presents epistemologies of knowledge in the knowledge management literature, providing both objective perspectives and practice-based perspectives. Part 2 acts as an introduction to key concepts. The third part is about innovation, knowledge creation, and unlearning. The fourth part presents an introduction to ICTs and knowledge management, again presenting both objective perspectives and practice-based perspectives. The fifth part looks at socio-cultural issues related to managing and sharing knowledge. The last part applies all that has been presented so far to the real world.
Chapter
Knowledge-Intensive Firms and Knowledge Workers
This chapter provides a detailed definition of the terms ‘knowledge-intensive firms’ and ‘knowledge workers’ and discusses the character of work and the dynamics of the knowledge processes within knowledge-intensive firms. It studies how writing on knowledge workers and knowledge-intensive firms is typically embedded in the knowledge society rhetoric. Then it presents different perspectives on the definition of knowledge work. The nature of the work carried out within knowledge-intensive firms is illustrated. The character of knowledge processes within knowledge-intensive firms, which links to the topics of intellectual capital, social capital, and innovation, is also discussed. The chapter ends by examining the debate regarding the extent to which knowledge workers represent the ideal employee, being always willing to participate in relevant knowledge processes, and working long hours for their employers.
Chapter
Leadership, Organization Culture Management, and Knowledge Management
This chapter examines the topics of leadership and organizational culture, and how they can impact on knowledge management initiatives. It starts by examining the topic of organizational culture and its relationship to knowledge management. Then it considers the impact leadership can have on knowledge processes. The relationships between organizational culture and knowledge management processes are discussed. The chapter also presents the different perspectives on the debate regarding the extent to which knowledge-based cultures can be created within organizations. The topic of leadership is also divided into two sections, with the first giving a brief overview of the way in which the conceptualization of leadership has evolved over time; and the second section looking more narrowly at the relationship between leadership and knowledge management activities.
Chapter
Learning and Knowledge Management
This chapter explores the ways that learning is conceptualized and the issue of organisztional learning. The chapter starts with an examination of the difficulties involved in defining what learning is. It then considers the diversity of ways in which learning occurs. Then it delves into the dynamics of organizational learning, and the relationship between individual, group, and organizational-level learning processes. It also presents two perspectives on the debate surrounding the concept of the learning organization. Issues raised by the critics of the learning organization rhetoric, such as the need to account for power, as well as the broad context of the employment relationship are also tackled.
Chapter
The Objectivist Perspective on Knowledge
This chapter articulates the objectivist perspective on knowledge. First, it begins by outlining the key assumptions and characteristics of the objectivist perspective on knowledge. Then, it examines and gives examples of work utilizing the knowledge-based theory of the firm. The next section studies the development of knowledge typologies that highlight and differentiate between distinctive categories of knowledge, such as tacit and explicit knowledge. Finally, it concludes by considering how those adopting an objectivist perspective on knowledge typically conceptualize the sharing and management of organizational knowledge.
Chapter
Objectivist Perspectives on ICTs and Knowledge Management
This chapter delves into the diverse ways in which information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be used to facilitate knowledge management processes which are compatible with the objectivist perspective on knowledge. It starts by revisiting the key features of the objectivist perspective on knowledge, focusing on their implications regarding the role that ICTs can play in knowledge processes. After this, the chapter then examines three different approaches of IT-enabled knowledge management that support the objectivist perspective on knowledge management. A brief exposition of combining different approaches into one software solution or knowledge management platform is done. Finally, the chapter presents a critical evaluation of objectivist approaches on ICTs and knowledge management.
Chapter
Power, Politics, Conflict, and Knowledge Processes
This chapter explores the relationship between power, conflict, and politics to knowledge processes. It gives an overview of the two perspectives on power and outlines how they link with Schultze and Stabell's framework. Then it examines the ‘power as a resource’ perspective, which links to the topics of the employment relationship and intra organizational conflict. Michel Foucault's distinctive perspective on power/knowledge is also reviewed. The latter part of the chapter expounds on power, politics, and conflicts and shows how these develop across organizational boundaries. It also looks at problems that may arise as a result of this, and the need to balance knowledge development and knowledge protection.
Chapter
The Practice-Based Perspective on Knowledge
This chapter studies the practice-based perspective on knowledge. It presents an alternative answer to the question ‘what is knowledge?’, based on fundamentally different epistemological assumptions from the objectivist perspective. It begins by outlining the way knowledge is characterized within the practice-based perspective. The practice-based perspective conceptualizes knowledge not as a codifiable object/entity, but instead emphasizes the extent to which it is embedded within and inseparable from work activities or practices. The chapter then considers how knowledge management processes are conceptualized. The chapter's last part presents a practice-based perspective on the management and sharing of knowledge.
Chapter
Practice-Based Perspectives on ICT-Enabled Knowledge Management
This chapter reviews the roles information and communication technologies (ICTs) can play in facilitating knowledge management processes when a practice-based perspective on knowledge is applied. The practice-based perspective regards ICTs as having a less direct, but equally important role in supporting and facilitating the social interactions that underpin inter-personal knowledge processes. The chapter discusses the three separate approaches to utilize ICTs to facilitate knowledge management activities utilizing this perspective in more depth. The first approach involves a network-based approach. Here, the role of ICTs is to provide a means for people to publicize their expertise and identify relevant experts, after which the social relations necessary to knowledge sharing can be developed. The second approach is to use ICTs as collaboration tools, such as through the use of social media. The final approach is the crowd-based approach, this logic is extended beyond the boundaries of the organization, to provide a mechanism via which organizations can use ICTs to access a diverse range of external expertise.
Chapter
Unlearning, Knowledge Loss, and the Protection of Knowledge
This chapter examines unlearning, knowledge loss, and the protection of knowledge. The chapter begins by differentiating between unlearning and forgetting. It then analyses the close and inseparable interrelationship between unlearning, learning, and change. Different individual and organizational-level factors that can act as barriers to forgetting are reviewed. Knowledge leakage is then introduced to distinguish between leakage and loss. The final section deals with how knowledge could be protected in organizations.
Chapter
What is Knowledge Management?
This chapter considers what is meant by the term ‘knowledge management’. It explores this topic by considering the heterogeneous ways in which knowledge management is defined and in which organizational knowledge can be managed. It looks at the diverse range of factors that influence the approach to knowledge management that firms adopt. Knowledge management strategies are also discussed. The chapter concludes with examining several frameworks and taxonomies that have been developed to categorize how the management of organizational knowledge can be achieved.
