The role of inter-unit coordination mechanisms in knowledge sharing: a case study of a British MNC
Willem, Annick Buelens, Marc Scarbrough, Harry
Willem, Annick
Buelens, Marc
Scarbrough, Harry
Citations
Altmetric:
Publication Type
Journal article with impact factor
Editor
Supervisor
Publication Year
2006
Journal
Journal of Information Science
Book
Publication Volume
32
Publication Issue
6
Publication Begin page
539
Publication End page
561
Publication NUmber of pages
Collections
Abstract
Valuable knowledge in organizations is too often ‘locked in’ within one unit. The contribution of this paper is to provide insights into the knowledge-sharing effect of inter-unit coordination mechanisms. This topic has not yet received in-depth study. We fill this gap with a case study of a UK-based multinational, in which we explore knowledge sharing between business units. Data was collected using a questionnaire and interviews. The findings from our study highlight that formal coordination is preferable. Informal networking as an inter-unit coordination mechanism was not perceived as beneficial for knowledge sharing. The knowledge-sharing enablers, trust and knowledge complexity, largely dominated the possibilities for inter-unit knowledge sharing whatever coordination was used. Especially, the perceived knowledge complexity caused problems that could not be fully compensated for by any type of coordination mechanism. The study also highlights the unexpectedly minor role of common knowledge and the only indirect effect of coordination through values.
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
People Management & Leadership