Knowledge Management in Distributed Work: Implications for Boundary Spanning and its Design

Abstract

A distributed work setting represents a challenging context for knowledge management (KM). The encounter of working in virtual project teams and the processes of sharing and creating knowledge in a dispersed context are demanding because of differences in languages, cultures, and business traditions. The situation of distribution indeed creates certain boundaries that need to be crossed. To sustain competitiveness, companies need to increase their competencies in managing various kinds of boundaries. Particularly, initiatives in utilizing information and communication technology that supports boundary-crossing work are essential for enhancing innovation and knowledge creation through remote collaboration. Boundary practices involve different activities in terms of knowledge brokering, boundary spanning, and utilization of boundary objects. This research presents the KM initiatives in three multinationals firms that accentuate boundary management to ensure remote sharing and creation of knowledge. Furthermore, the results propose that launching boundary management procedures that focus on knowledge networking, KM 2.0 and social software were important for coping with boundaries in a geographically dispersed work context. This paper has implications for future design of boundary spanning approaches.