Impact of Structures on Knowledge Contribution in Virtual Organizations: The Asian Case

Abstract

As multi-culture virtual teams become more prevalent in organizations, it becomes increasingly imperative to understand knowledge sharing dynamics. This paper uses Adaptive Structuration Theory extended to address proactive structuration as a foundation from which a model is developed to include aspects of knowledge sharing. Propositions are established, and evidence is provided based on a project involving 119 participants comprising 13 teams of nominally nine members. Each team was composed of three sub-teams of nominally three participants from three locations: The Netherlands, Hong Kong and Beijing. The discussion focuses on managing conflict and maximizing contribution.