Crossing power and knowledge boundaries in learning and knowledge sharing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the crossing of knowledge and power boundaries within a bureaucratic organization using Enterprise Social Media (ESM). Carlile’s (2004) boundary crossing framework is used to guide this research. Design/methodology/approach- This is a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews and observations in a large Norwegian public sector organization. Findings- We find that crossing knowledge and power boundaries using ESM is problematic at both a syntactic, semantic and pragmatic level. ESM is used predominantly for sharing, storing and retrieving explicit knowledge, which is a display of crossing the information processing boundary. While the use of ESM allows for potential power shifts among different levels, shared meaning, taking the perspective of other and new knowledge-in-practices are not achieved. Therefore examples of crossing the semantic and pragmatic knowledge boundaries are rarely found. Research limitations/implications- The framework could be applied to a variety of contexts to further explore the role of ESM in learning and knowledge sharing and its ability to cross power and knowledge boundaries. Practical implications- Organizations will benefit from understanding issues related to the use of ESM to enhance knowledge sharing, learning and the development of new practices, as well as potential power, knowledge and trust issues that may arise in connection with the use of ESM. Originality/value – This paper addresses a gap in the literature around discussions of power, trust, boundary crossing and the use of enterprise social media for knowledge sharing and learnin

Getting access to colleagues in learning : the notion of informal learning

This paper examines newcomers´ transformation from educational knowledge to professional knowing, with focus on informal learning and established colleagues as knowledge sources. Informal learning becomes a question of getting access to colleagues, and is believed to be superior to formal learning. Established colleagues represent a vital knowledge source

Transforming knowledge to knowing at work: the experiences of newcomers

This paper explores how newcomers experience their transition to work as they strive to move from a position of ‘educational’ knowledge to professional knowing. Hence, we focus on how newcomers learn to transform knowledge to knowing at work. We do this through the analysis of two ethnographic case studies: one with a focus on new office workers and the other on newly employed paramedics. In our analysis, we approach knowledge as a question of knowing through practise. This enables us to recognize the complexities of learning at and for work and learning and knowing as integrated processes, where learning is situated, relational and mediated. We find that newcomers´ learning occurs through social interactions and participation, not simply by joining in but involving complex interactions to first find and grasp the pathways or the ‘codes’ (established organizational culture) that enable fruitful participation. Getting access to colleagues and thus, established practise is already considered important support for newcomers to learn to enact ‘educational’ knowledge professionally. However, we find that what is most important for newcomers is how they become knowledgeable as they recognize that it is not their educational knowledge, but working out how to engage and participate in the social practises, that counts

Crossing power and knowledge boundaries in learning and knowledge sharing: The role of ESM

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