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Organisational ‘know-where’ and ‘know-when’: re-framing configurations and distributions of knowledge in organisations

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Knowledge Management Research & Practice

Abstract

This paper explores varying configurations of knowledge in organisations. A multi-dimensional framework of distinctive forms of knowledge is used to highlight different patterns of organisational knowledge, demonstrating their heterogeneity and variability – over time, in terms of depth of expertise, and their distribution within and between organisations. Common knowledge that is shared across an organisation accounts for only a small proportion of organisational knowledge, indicating that strategies to exploit this resource for competitive advantage will be constrained unless mechanisms are developed that enable access to and transfer of knowledge that is not yet shared or common.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lancaster University, Lancaster, U.K.

    Andrew Atherton

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  1. Andrew Atherton
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Correspondence to Andrew Atherton.

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Atherton, A. Organisational ‘know-where’ and ‘know-when’: re-framing configurations and distributions of knowledge in organisations. Knowl Manage Res Pract 11, 410–421 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1057/kmrp.2012.40

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/kmrp.2012.40

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