Communication and organizational knowledge: Contemporary issues for theory and practice

Abstract

Communication and Organizational Knowledge: Contemporary Issues for Theory and Practice, a text edited by Canary and McPhee, presents an interesting combination of chapters that delves into the antecedents, processes, and effects associated with creating, locating, and/or sharing organizational knowledge. Overall, this text accomplishes three goals that other texts dealing with organizational knowledge and knowledge management truly do not. First, it situates knowledge not only as something that organizational members “have” but rather something that they “share.” All too often knowledge management scholars claim that knowledge, even when codified, exists within, rather than between, social actors. Each chapter within this edited volume views knowledge as something “shareable.” Second, the text situates knowledge as something that has consequences, whether they deal with the necessary prerequisites for knowledge (e.g., Myers), the processes associated with the social management of knowledge (e.g., Iverson), or the technologies used to share knowledge (e.g., Flanagin & Bator). All too often knowledge management scholars speak about the importance of organizational knowledge, but sometimes fall short of espousing the actual results, both individual and collective, of creating, locating, sharing, and/or using knowledge. Finally, and perhaps the text's greatest strength and most noticeable contribution, it situates knowledge as a communication phenomenon. Knowledge, whether it is tacit or explicit, exists neither in a vacuum, nor does it reside in isolated individuals. Rather, as the volume's authors all claim, either overtly or more covertly, knowledge is a social construction, produced and reproduced within (and even among) social systems. For example, as Palazzolo illustrates, organizational knowledge exists in social networks and is shared because of the communicative ties between and among employees. Furthermore, Shumate shows how knowledge is communicatively exchanged between two or more social actors to the extent that a norm of reciprocity exists (e.g., I will share my knowledge with you if you share your knowledge with me). As such, this text truly adds to the research on organizational knowledge from a communication perspective by showcasing the interactive, social processes inherent in knowledge creation, sharing, and utilization.