AbstractsEngineering

This is a case study analysis of the role of organisational culture on knowledge sharing in a Danish engineering organisation. The problem being addressed is that the extent to which knowledge is shared amongst employees of KPX Engineering varies across the organisation and despite managerial initiatives, knowledge is not being effectively shared amongst the employees. The study was founded on an understanding that there is a fundamental relationship between organisational culture and knowledge sharing and therefore, in order to understand knowledge sharing in an organisation, one must primarily understand the influence of elements of the organisational culture. Hence, the study was designed around the research question – How do elements of organisational culture influence knowledge sharing in a knowledge-intensive organisation? Approaching the research question from a communication studies perspective and therefore, an understanding that knowledge sharing is a communication process, the study followed a transactional model of communication, a pragmatic social constructionism epistemology and an abductive research methodology to explore the role of organisational culture on knowledge sharing in KPX Engineering. Through the analysis of data co-produced by means of three focus groups, four semi-structured interviews and observation methods, the study contributes to the existing knowledge on the topic by concluding that a collaborative norm and an established trust amongst employees have made knowledge sharing a common practice in KPX Engineering. However, a high regard for codified knowledge and an overreliance on IT infrastructure have established a practice of oversharing of information, which is having a negative effect on knowledge sharing in the organisation. Furthermore, the organisation’s reliance on a single knowledge sharing approach, in this case an artefact oriented approach, is also having a negative effect on knowledge sharing in the organisation. The study also concludes that KPX Engineering’s divisional organisational structure and global locations have resulted in a predominant group identity and a lack of communication between the divisions. This has created a norm of employees limiting their search for knowledge to their immediate contacts. As a result, although knowledge is shared amongst group members, group knowledge rarely becomes organisational knowledge. Advisors/Committee Members: Nielsen, Jørgen Lerche (advisor).