Managing Knowledge Intensive Processes – Reconciling the Paradox between Learning and Organizing

A company?s intellectual capital ? its knowledge ? cannot be divorced from its people, so a study of a company?s knowledge should concentrate on organizational life, not IT systems and the like. The research in this Ph.D. project focuses on the social networks companies create ? their organization ? in order to absorb and develop knowledge. Contrary to much recent research in knowledge management, I hold that knowledge does not lend itself to traditional management methodology. Instead, companies should focus on managing people and organizations and linking the two. These entities and their interaction are the cornerstones of the study. This activity should be the province of the aforementioned social networks, where activity-based learning and knowledge transformation processes are embedded. In my data collection process I aim to analyze concrete examples of knowledge intensive firms in order to understand their nature and the way they function. My primary interest is the process through which new knowledge is created, articulated and integrated into companies. When talking about knowledge in organizations it is essential that we pay attention to the fact that the company is engaged both in the process of knowledge creation and in its subsequent application. This raises the following important question: How should a firm organize knowledge intensive work processes so that it advances both in terms of internal efficiency and external effectiveness? That is, how can a knowledge intensive company shape a binary organizational form balancing exploration and exploitation? This research project is a joint effort between the Center for Industrial Production at Aalborg University and three case companies: Mindpass (software developer), LM Glasfiber (the world's leading supplier of rotor blades for wind turbines) and Dafolo (service company). My goal is to produce actionable knowledge to help organizations and corporate managers overcome the problems inherent in managing knowledge and learning processes. I am engaged in what I call a reflective dialogue with my three case study companies, a process in which these case companies act both as ?guides? and ?laboratories? for my research. Data collection methods include interviews, participatory observation and analysis of various company documents. CIP project group: Brian Vejrum Sørensen (Ph.D. researcher), Associate Professor Anders Drejer (primary advisor) and Professor Jens O. Riis (associate advisor) Project duration: fall 2000 ? spring 2004