From Here to Eternity? Challenges of transferring situtated knowledge in dispersed organizations

Abstract

This paper extends theoretical and empirical debates on knowledge transfer in geographically dispersed project teams. It draws upon studies of five international, project-based firms. The paper presents quantitative data comparing knowledge sharing practices between dispersed and co-located teams. It shows that contrary to conventional wisdom, their respective practices are similar for many work activities, such as face to face interaction, email and project websites. However dispersed team members use the telephone for all types of knowledge exchange significantly more than co-located teams. The paper then illustrates typical interactions using the differing means and media available to the observed project teams.