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Managing knowledge work: specialization and collaboration of engineering problem-solving

Managing knowledge work: specialization and collaboration of engineering problem-solving In this paper we investigate the exploratory nature of knowledge creation and sharing practice in high‐technology industry. Traditional approaches in knowledge management focus on the storage and retrieval of knowledge, but they do not address the tacit dimension of knowledge process. Using data gathered at three semiconductor manufacturers in Japan and Korea, we examine the social processes by which expert teams cooperate across team boundaries despite differing points of view resulting from increasing team specialization. Three engineering teams are studied: design, process, and process integration. They are responsible for trouble management in the production of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a class of integrated circuit semiconductor devices. Trouble management is the handling of problems that require exploratory, yet routine problem‐solving practice. The findings suggest that the crucial challenge in achieving effective control of the knowledge management process rests not in strategies for collecting and classifying relevant problem/solution information. Rather, it is in the management of “problematization”, a political process involving the articulation behaviors of different teams of engineers. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Knowledge Management Emerald Publishing

Managing knowledge work: specialization and collaboration of engineering problem-solving

Jeffrey Kim; John King
Journal of Knowledge Management , Volume 8 (2): 11 – Apr 1, 2004
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References (49)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1367-3270
DOI
10.1108/13673270410529109
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the exploratory nature of knowledge creation and sharing practice in high‐technology industry. Traditional approaches in knowledge management focus on the storage and retrieval of knowledge, but they do not address the tacit dimension of knowledge process. Using data gathered at three semiconductor manufacturers in Japan and Korea, we examine the social processes by which expert teams cooperate across team boundaries despite differing points of view resulting from increasing team specialization. Three engineering teams are studied: design, process, and process integration. They are responsible for trouble management in the production of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a class of integrated circuit semiconductor devices. Trouble management is the handling of problems that require exploratory, yet routine problem‐solving practice. The findings suggest that the crucial challenge in achieving effective control of the knowledge management process rests not in strategies for collecting and classifying relevant problem/solution information. Rather, it is in the management of “problematization”, a political process involving the articulation behaviors of different teams of engineers.

Journal

Journal of Knowledge Management – Emerald Publishing

Published: Apr 1, 2004

Keywords: Problem solving; Knowledge management; Japan; Team learning

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