thesis_Daniela Noethen_print final - Jacobs University

Knowledge, Knowledge Management, and Knowledge Transfer
Takeuchi (1995) call it a “dynamic human process of justifying personal belief toward the ‘truth’
” (p. 58). Knowledge is created and resides within the mind, and heavily relies on the
individual’s beliefs, values, judgment and experience (Alavi & Leidner, 2001; Davenport &
Prusak, 1998; Nonaka, 1994; Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995). According to Davenport and Prusak
(1998), the knowledge existing within a person provides a framework for evaluating and
incorporation new information. Thus, knowledge in organizations is not seen as an objective
truth as in the traditional philosophic discussions, but is rather subjective (which is why it is so
hard to transfer, as we will see later). Furthermore, knowledge is rather dynamic, as it changes
depending on new information and experiences (Machlup, 1983; Nonaka, 1994). 2
But knowledge can not only exist at the level of the individual, it can also become embedded
in groups (e.g., social knowledge) or in organizations. At the organizational level, knowledge
can be created by a process that “amplifies the knowledge created by individuals and crystallizes
it as a part of the knowledge network of the organization.” (Nonaka, 1994, p.17). It is then
embedded in documents and repositories, but also in organizational routines, processes,
practices, and norms (Davenport & Prusak, 1998).
For its role in organizations, it is important to note that knowledge is closely related to
action and increases the capacity for effective action, respectively (Alavi & Leidner, 2001;
Davenport & Prusak, 1998; Nonaka, 1994; Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995). “Better knowledge can
lead, for example, to measurable efficiencies in product development and production.”
(Davenport & Prusak, 1998, p. 6).
Summing all this up in one or two sentences is all but easy, but for the purpose of the
present dissertation, my working definition of knowledge reads as follows:
2 Despite all efforts to distinguish between information and knowledge, there is a certain overlap, and in
practice, the line between these two constructs is sometimes impossible to draw. Therefore, when
addressing question of participants, I opted rather for a broader, comprehensive definition of knowledge.
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