| NSF Org: |
OAC Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 15, 2011 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 15, 2011 |
| Award Number: | 1122206 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Rajiv Ramnath
OAC Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) CSE Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2011 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2015 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $399,806.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $399,806.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3100 MARINE ST Boulder CO US 80309-0001 (303)492-6221 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
3100 MARINE ST Boulder CO US 80309-0001 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | VIRTUAL ORGANIZATIONS |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.070 |
ABSTRACT
Social knowledge sharing networks are central to organizational success, but with the growth in distributed global organizations, many firms are struggling with the challenge of creating and maintaining relationships that cross geographic, disciplinary, national, and cultural boundaries. This study investigates communities of practice within multinational engineering and construction organizations to build a theory of inclusive, global, knowledge sharing networks. Through social network analysis and qualitative interviews, the research team will theorize knowledge connection formation drivers and knowledge flow patterns. Existing techniques allow us to map networks of relationships, this project will go much further by (1) identifying and measuring the influence of geographic location, discipline, business practice, and generation on knowledge sharing connections; (2) determining the central sources of knowledge and directional flow of knowledge within the networks; (3) analyzing and explaining the conditions facilitating and impeding intra-organizational boundary-spanning knowledge sharing connection creation; and (4) determining why knowledge flows in a particular direction.
As the movement toward distributed international organizations grows, the networks of social relationships that encourage the transfer of knowledge within a firm will weaken and knowledge sharing will become increasingly difficult. A better understanding of the drivers underlying the formation of knowledge-sharing connections and their ongoing maintenance can improve our effectiveness in addressing major societal and organizational challenges. This research will advance social science theory of knowledge sharing in global, interdisciplinary, technology-based communities of practice and provide recommendations for creating and maintaining multi-lateral knowledge sharing connections to enhance interdisciplinary communities of practice in multinational engineering and construction firms.
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This project investigated patterns of knowledge sharing within several communities of practice hosted by two global construction and engineering firms. The researchers determined the impact of common demographic and organizational boundaries, evaluated how knowledge sharing connections form, and created a typology of knowledge sharing connections that are tied to various knowledge sharing outcomes. This was part of a greater effort to understand the behavior of geographically dispersed organizations, and the impact of management decisions on knowledge flows within organizations.
Why it was important
Today's multinational firms face a variety of challenges due to the size of their operations, the broad scope of products that they create, and the number and diversity of their employees. One of the key issues faced by global firms is accessing the knowledge possessed by their employees, so that key expertise is available when and where it is needed. Unfortunately, most firms experience significant fragmentation according to different business divisions or geographic divisions. In this condition, employees within large, global firms can be unaware of what colleagues are doing in other areas of the company. This leads to repeated mistakes, missed opportunities for innovation, and duplicated efforts to solve problems that have already been dealt with by others. It is therefore important to understand how organizational divisions, geographic distribution, and cultural diversity influence patterns of knowledge sharing, how knowledge sharing connections typically form, and the different types of knowledge sharing that occur within multinational companies. With a better understanding of knowledge sharing in global companies, managers will be better equipped to build effective multinational organizations.
Research Method
Three communities of practice (CoPs) within two multinational construction and engineering organizations headquartered in the United States were studied. The construction industry is one of the largest industries, includes a broad variety of professionals with specific expertise, and is project-based. The organizations studied have multiple CoPs, operations in at least 10 countries, and conduct business across multiple industry sectors (e.g., wastewater).
CoP members participated in a social network survey to map knowledge sharing connections between the CoP members (Figures 1-3). The researchers then analyzed patterns of connection to determine the boundaries that limited knowledge sharing. Next, the researchers conducted 75+ interviews to determine how knowledge sharing connections formed and the types of connections that occurred. These interviews were transcribed and qualitatively coded to explain how and why different patterns of knowledge sharing were established.
What we found
- Even though CoPs are intended to span geographic and cultural boundaries, there is a strong tendency for employees to share with others who are like them (e.g., same region, same culture). Geographically integrated training, employee mobility, and task assignments that facilitate connections can reduce these silos.
- Companies must determine their internal structures, including divisional lines (e.g., oil & gas, transportation) and functional groups (e.g., civil engineering, accounting). The emphasis influences work patterns and interactions amongst employees. In the CoPs studied, knowledge sharing was limited by either industry or functional groupings, which influenced everyday work patterns. If the company emphasized industry groupings, then very little knowledge was shared between industry groups.
- Within CoPs, knowledge sharing connections form through four primary mechanisms: <...
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