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Beyond knowledge management – understanding how to share knowledge through logic and practice

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Knowledge Management Research & Practice

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to develop our understanding of how knowledge is shared within a professional service firm. Insights from a 1-year ethnographic study suggest that it is important to go beyond the ‘theoretical limitations’ of knowledge management in order to understand how to manage knowledge within a firm. From the analysis of how knowledge is shared in practice, three logics emerge that help us understand not only how, but also why knowledge is shared among professionals within a professional service firm. A conceptual framework regarding how to better understand sharing, handling and developing knowledge within an organization is discussed, and implications for managers and future research are outlined.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the Jan Wallander and Tom Hedelius Foundation for funding this study; the co-workers at the studied firm for their help and contributions; and the conference participants at EGOS 2011 and OLKC 2012 for valuable comments on earlier drafts of this paper.

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  1. Department of Business Administration, School of Business, Economics & Law, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Anna Jonsson

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  1. Anna Jonsson
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Table A1

Table A1 List of interviews
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Jonsson, A. Beyond knowledge management – understanding how to share knowledge through logic and practice. Knowl Manage Res Pract 13, 45–58 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1057/kmrp.2013.28

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