From practice to structures: The link between project-level knowledge creation and firm-level systematic information structures

Journal article, 2016

This paper addresses the important topic of how project-level processes of knowledge creation result in firm-level routines for information storage and knowledge dissemination. Using data from 99 Swedish medium-sized technology firms pursuing R&D and product innovation activities, the study finds that project-level knowledge creation is significantly linked to firm-level routines for knowledge storage and dissemination. Building on the established SECI (Socialisation, Externalisation, Combination, and Internalisation) model, the study shows that project-level knowledge creation processes and firm-level knowledge dissemination routines are closely related though conceptually distinct. Moreover, while studies on the SECI model have implicitly assumed that all four knowledge-creation modes are equally important, this study's findings indicate that modes related to tacit knowledge creation (i.e. socialisation) are related to firm-level knowledge routines more closely than are modes related to explicit knowledge creation. These findings offer important contributions to the literature on knowledge creation in firms and helpful guidance for managers seeking to systematise information.