Building knowledge in projects – A practical application of social constructivism to information systems development (Jackson & Klobas, 2008)
Donnerstag, Oktober 23rd, 2008
Jackson, Paul; Klobas, Jane: Building knowledge in projects – A practical application of social constructivism to information systems development; in: International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 26 (2008), No. 4, pp. 329-337.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2007.05.011
Jackson & Klobas describe the constructivist model of knowledge sharing and thus organisational learning. This classical model describes knowledge sharing in organisations as a constant cylcle of
- Creating personal knowledge
- Sharing newly created personal knowledge = Externalisation
- Communication knowledge = Internalisation
- Acquiring other peoples’ knowledge = Learning
Jackson & Klobas argue that IT project failure can be explained using this model. The authors outline and discuss three failure factors – (1) lack of personal knowledge, (2) inability to externalise knowledge, and (3) lack of communication.
Integrating diverse knowledge through boundary spanning processes – The case of multidisciplinary project teams (Ratcheva, in press)
Freitag, Oktober 3rd, 2008
Ratcheva, Violina: Integrating diverse knowledge through boundary spanning processes – The case of multidisciplinary project teams; in: International Journal of Project Management, in press, corrected proof.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2008.02.008
The author argues that diverse, multi-disciplinary teams have knowledge boundaries which make information sharing difficult. An issue even more difficult if the team is geographically separated.
Ratcheva conceptualises the diverse project team as being embedded in the macro environment and organisational environment. The team itself is characterised at its starting point by three factors – (1) interpersonal, interactions & relational capital, (2) knowledge diversity, and (3) establishing workpractice. These three factors influence each other. Starting with this diverse team context or setting the team goes on to integrate it’s knowledge which ultimately leads to a project outcome.
Which knowledge boundaries exist in such a project team? Ratcheva identifies three different knowledge domains and at the edge of these knowledge boundaries. First of all there is the project team, surrounded by it’s projectation boundary, outside this boundary lies theoccupational knowledge. Which simply means that each project team member is rooted in a broader knowledge of his profession which goes beyond the boundaries of the current project.
Secondly, the team has contextual knowledge which is confined by theproject knowledge boundary. Thirdly, the broader project relevant knowledge lies inside the project’s social boundary.
How does the concept look like in motion? Which boundary spanning activities does the team perform? Ratcheva describes a four step process which combines all knowledge related and boundary spanning activities.
- The project core team works on the project, solves problems and issues = understanding occupational knowledge, and realising and spanning the projectation boundary
- The team understands the context knowledge, e.g., customer needs, stakeholder requirements = realising and spanning theproject knowledge boundary
- The team understands it’s personal diversity, thus understanding which personal knowledge is project relevant knowledge = realising and spanning the project social boundary
- The team integrates all knowledge, a knowledge which then feeds back into the first step
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