Knowledge Exchange in Organizations is a Potential, Not a Given: Methodologies for Assessment and Management of a Knowledge-Sharing Culture

Abstract

Team collaborations generate rich collections of information that are valuable inputs to the knowledge management (KM) process. But such effectiveness is not guaranteed. Team members may possesses considerable knowledge, but their tendency and ability to contribute that knowledge — and transform it from a personal tacit resource that has value only to them to an explicit resource that can have value to the team or organization — is only a potential. This chapter provides readers with an understanding of the human dynamics of expert knowledge exchange in the realm of virtual teams who interact via computer-controlled communication (CMC). We present the research, theory and the methodologies now in professional use to assess information exchange potential for KM-related activities at the team level as well as from the perspective of organizational culture.