期刊名称：eJOV : Electronic Journal of Organizational Virtualness
印刷版ISSN：1422-9331
出版年度：2005
卷号：7
页码：34-34
出版社：Electronic Journal of Organizational Virtualness
摘要：Remote co-operation is an increasingly prevalent state of working for most of the globally operating companies. At the same time, continuous learning and building new knowledge have become crucial not only for professional growth and rapid renewal of competencies but also for the prosperity of the companies. This paper reports the results of a study which analyzed employees’ communication and experience-based knowledge creation and sharing in a globally operating telecommunications company. This study consists of two parts: an interview study and an analysis of e-mail list discussions. A total of 19 semi-structured interviews with employees working in distributed ways were carried out. The interview data were analyzed with qualitative content analysis. In addition to the interviews, the dialogues on a specific technical employees’ knowledge-sharing e-mail list were analyzed in the frame of positioning theory. The dialogue was documented monthly over 22 months. The results from both parts of the study indicate that learning in informal ways in networks formed by colleagues, in the form of sharing experience-based knowledge and solving problems collaboratively, can complement formal learning channels and may sometimes even be a predominant way of learning in the distributed work environment. The defined key success factors of knowledge sharing in virtual co-operation indicated that shared rules, values and an inclusive organization culture are needed to ensure co-operation among employees in different time zones and geographical regions. Several challenges were also identified, e.g. the need to support knowledge creation with the remote colleagues more efficiently. Such support may range from technological tools to environment and to intangible socio-psychological and organizational factors. These may also contain inhibiting factors like poor communication and information technology, unsuitable venues, facilities and time zones, organizational norms, habits, and institutionalised ways of working.
