Knowledge Governance Strategies in Project-based Organizations

Sofia Pemsel, Ralf Müller, Jonas Söderlund

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Knowledge governance (KG) aims at strategically influencing knowledge processes by implementing governance mechanisms. Little is known about whether, how, or why such strategies differ among firms. We utilize a large-scale empirical study of 20 organizations to develop a typology of KG strategies in project-based organizations; we then explore how these strategies emerge and affect organizational knowledge processes. Six strategies are identified: Protector, Deliverer, Polisher, Explorer, Supporter, and Analyzer. This paper posits a multi-level categorization model to facilitate comparisons among KG strategies. We uncover three main drivers of organizations' chosen knowledge governance strategies-namely, attitudes about humans, knowledge, and knowledge control.
Original languageEnglish
JournalLong Range Planning
Volume49
Issue number6
Pages (from-to)648-660
Number of pages13
ISSN0024-6301
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2016

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