Organisations

Abstract

There is little sense in undertaking research on tacit knowledge and its intra-organisational diffusion without some discussion on organisations themselves. Rather than undertake a longitudinal study in one firm, the research covered in this book examines three IT firms (or IT branches of firms) at one point in time (late 2001-early 2002). There is evidence to suggest (Lam, 2000) that the nature of the organisation will influence tacit knowledge transfer, both with regard to organisational mission and whether the company is private or public sector in nature (Syed-Ikhsan & Rowland, 2004). Lam’s (2000) work utilized Mintzberg’s (1983, 1991a, b, c, d, e) typology and it is for this reason in addition to the latter’s prominence in the discipline of organisational theory that this chapter will introduce Mintzberg’s typology. The three firms under study will then be introduced in some detail, with an emphasis on the biographical composition of the staff participating in the research being presented here. The chapter will conclude with a placement of the three organizations within the Mintzberg framework.