Process Improvement and Knowledge Communication

Abstract

Given the prominent role that information processing seems to play in organizational processes, and the assumption that information processing relies heavily on knowledge, the frequent claims that the collective knowledge held by organizations is the single most important factor defining their competitiveness do not seem unreasonable. The amount of relevant shared knowledge among individuals in process teams has been linked to the efficiency and effectiveness of such teams (Boland and Tenkasi, 1995; Nelson and Cooprider, 1996; Nosek and McNeese, 1997). Shared team knowledge has been equated to higher flexibility of organizational processes, as it can reduce the need for bureaucratic and automated procedures to mechanize and standardize procedures (Davidow and Malone, 1992). That is, more shared knowledge among team members may reduce the need for workflow control and automation.