Tacit knowledge, embedded agency and learning: local nodes and global networks

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Volume 32, Issue 1

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Tacit knowledge, embedded agency and learning: local nodes and global networks

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Author(s): Alice Lam

Publication date (Print): 1 March 2014

Journal: Prometheus

Publisher: Pluto Journals

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Abstract

Alice Lam is Professor of Organisation Studies at the School of Management, Royal Holloway University of London. Her research focuses on the relationship between organizational forms, knowledge creation and societal institutions. Her current work examines the changing nature of academic scientific work and knowledge transfer between university and industry.

Content

Author and article information

Contributors

Alice Lam

Journal

Journal ID (doi): 10.2307/j50022063

Journal ID (jcode): prometheus

Title: Prometheus

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN: 0810-9028

ISSN: 1470-1030

Publication date (Print): 1 March 2014

Volume: 32

Issue: 1 ( doiID: 10.1080/prometheus.32.issue-1 )

Pages: 93-99

Affiliations

School of Management, Royal Holloway University of London, London, UK

Article

Publisher ID: 08109028.2014.945290

DOI: 10.1080/08109028.2014.945290

SO-VID: b2e0094c-ac22-4032-bceb-6fab3a1d027d

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

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lang eng

ScienceOpen disciplines: Computer science,Arts,Social & Behavioral Sciences,Law,History,Economics

References

Ashiem, B., Cohen, L. and Vang, J. (2007) ‘Face-to-face, buzz and knowledge bases: socio-spatial implications for learning, innovation and innovation policy’, Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 25, pp.655–70.
Brown, J. and Duguid, P. (1991) ‘Organizational learning and communities-of-practice: toward a unified view of working, learning, and innovation’, Organization Science, 2, 1, pp.40–57.
Duguid, P. (2005) ‘The art of knowing: social and tacit dimensions of knowledge and the limits of the community of practice’, The Information Society, 21, pp.109–18.
Durkheim, E. (1964) The Rules of Sociological Method, Free Press, New York.
Faulcombridge, J. (2006) ‘Stretching tacit knowledge beyond a local fix? Global spaces of learning in advertising professional service firms’, Journal of Economic Geography, 6, pp.517–40.
Felin, T. and Hesterley, W. (2007) ‘The knowledge-based view, nested heterogeneity, and new value creation: philosophical considerations on the locus of knowledge’, Academy of Management Review, 32, 1, pp.195–218.
Giddens, A. (1984) The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration, University of California Press, Berkeley CA.
Granovetter, M. (1985) ‘Economic action and social structure: the problem of embeddedness’, American Journal of Sociology, 91, 3, pp.481–510.
Gupta, A., Tesluk, P. and Taylor, M. (2007) ‘Innovation at and across multiple levels of analysis’, Organization Science, 18, 6, pp.885–97.
Hansen, M. (1999) ‘The search-transfer problem: the role of weak ties in sharing knowledge across organization subunit’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 44, 1, pp.82–111.
Hargadon, A. (2002) ‘Brokering knowledge: linking learning and innovation’, Research in Organizational Behavior, 24, pp.41–85.
Klaerding, C. (2009) ‘Understanding remigration and innovation: an appeal for a cultural economic geography’, Geography Compass, 3, 5, pp.1732–43.
Lam, A. (2000) ‘Tacit knowledge, organizational learning and societal institutions: an integrated framework’, Organization Studies, 21, 3, pp.487–513.
Lam, A. (2002) ‘Alternative societal models of learning and innovation in the knowledge economy’, International Social Science Journal, 171, pp.67–82.
Minbaeva, D. and Michailova, S. (2004) ‘Knowledge transfer and expatriation in multinational corporations’, Employee Relations, 26, 6, pp.663–79.
Mintzberg, H. (1979) The Structuring of Organization, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs NJ.
Nonaka, I. and Takeuchi, H. (1995) The Knowledge Creating Company, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Orlikowski, W. (2002) ‘Knowing in practice: enacting a collective capability in distributed organization’, Organization Science, 13, 3, pp.249–73.
Osterloh, M. (2005) ‘Human resources management and knowledge creation’ in Nonaka, I. and Kazuo, I. (eds) Handbook of Knowledge Creation, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp.158–75.
Polanyi, M. (1966) The Tacit Dimension, Doubleday, New York.
Reber, A.S. (1993) Implicit Learning and Tacit Knowledge: An Essay on Cognitive Unconscious, Oxford University Press, New York.
Reagans, R. and McEvily, B. (2003) ‘Network structure and knowledge transfer: the effect of cohesion and range’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 48, 2, pp.240–67.
Rutten, R. (2014) ‘Learning in socio-spatial context: an individual perspective’, Prometheus, 32, 1, pp.67–74.
Uzzi, B. (1997) ‘Social structure and competition in interfirm networks: the paradox of embeddedness’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 42, 1, pp.35–67.
Saxenian, A. and Hsu, J.-Y. (2001) ‘The Silicon Valley-Hsinchu connection: technical communities and industrial upgrading’, Industrial and Corporate Change, 10, 4, pp.893–920.
Saxenian, A. (2005) ‘From brain drain to brain-circulation: transnational communities and regional upgrading in China and India’, Studies in Comparative International Development, 40, 2, pp.35–61.
Sewell, W. (1992) ‘A theory of structure: duality, agency and transformation’, American Journal of Sociology, 98, 1, pp.1–29.
Schutz, A. (1953) ‘Common sense and scientific interpretation of human action’, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, September, pp.1–37.
Tsoukas, H. (1996) ‘The firm as a distributed knowledge system: a constructionist approach’, Strategic Management Journal, 17, S2, pp.11–25.
Vygotsky, L. (1978) Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes, Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA.
Wenger, E. (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Williams, A. (2007) ‘International labour migration and tacit knowledge transactions: a multi-level perspective’, Global Networks, 7, 1, pp.29–50.

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Ashiem, B., Cohen, L. and Vang, J. (2007) ‘Face-to-face, buzz and knowledge bases: socio-spatial implications for learning, innovation and innovation policy’, Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 25, pp.655–70.

[2] Brown, J. and Duguid, P. (1991) ‘Organizational learning and communities-of-practice: toward a unified view of working, learning, and innovation’, Organization Science, 2, 1, pp.40–57.

[3] Duguid, P. (2005) ‘The art of knowing: social and tacit dimensions of knowledge and the limits of the community of practice’, The Information Society, 21, pp.109–18.

[4] Durkheim, E. (1964) The Rules of Sociological Method, Free Press, New York.

[5] Faulcombridge, J. (2006) ‘Stretching tacit knowledge beyond a local fix? Global spaces of learning in advertising professional service firms’, Journal of Economic Geography, 6, pp.517–40.

[6] Felin, T. and Hesterley, W. (2007) ‘The knowledge-based view, nested heterogeneity, and new value creation: philosophical considerations on the locus of knowledge’, Academy of Management Review, 32, 1, pp.195–218.

[7] Giddens, A. (1984) The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration, University of California Press, Berkeley CA.

[8] Granovetter, M. (1985) ‘Economic action and social structure: the problem of embeddedness’, American Journal of Sociology, 91, 3, pp.481–510.

[9] Gupta, A., Tesluk, P. and Taylor, M. (2007) ‘Innovation at and across multiple levels of analysis’, Organization Science, 18, 6, pp.885–97.

[10] Hansen, M. (1999) ‘The search-transfer problem: the role of weak ties in sharing knowledge across organization subunit’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 44, 1, pp.82–111.

[11] Hargadon, A. (2002) ‘Brokering knowledge: linking learning and innovation’, Research in Organizational Behavior, 24, pp.41–85.

[12] Klaerding, C. (2009) ‘Understanding remigration and innovation: an appeal for a cultural economic geography’, Geography Compass, 3, 5, pp.1732–43.

[13] Lam, A. (2000) ‘Tacit knowledge, organizational learning and societal institutions: an integrated framework’, Organization Studies, 21, 3, pp.487–513.

[14] Lam, A. (2002) ‘Alternative societal models of learning and innovation in the knowledge economy’, International Social Science Journal, 171, pp.67–82.

[15] Minbaeva, D. and Michailova, S. (2004) ‘Knowledge transfer and expatriation in multinational corporations’, Employee Relations, 26, 6, pp.663–79.

[16] Mintzberg, H. (1979) The Structuring of Organization, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs NJ.

[17] Nonaka, I. and Takeuchi, H. (1995) The Knowledge Creating Company, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

[18] Orlikowski, W. (2002) ‘Knowing in practice: enacting a collective capability in distributed organization’, Organization Science, 13, 3, pp.249–73.

[19] Osterloh, M. (2005) ‘Human resources management and knowledge creation’ in Nonaka, I. and Kazuo, I. (eds) Handbook of Knowledge Creation, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp.158–75.

[20] Polanyi, M. (1966) The Tacit Dimension, Doubleday, New York.

[21] Reber, A.S. (1993) Implicit Learning and Tacit Knowledge: An Essay on Cognitive Unconscious, Oxford University Press, New York.

[22] Reagans, R. and McEvily, B. (2003) ‘Network structure and knowledge transfer: the effect of cohesion and range’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 48, 2, pp.240–67.

[23] Rutten, R. (2014) ‘Learning in socio-spatial context: an individual perspective’, Prometheus, 32, 1, pp.67–74.

[24] Uzzi, B. (1997) ‘Social structure and competition in interfirm networks: the paradox of embeddedness’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 42, 1, pp.35–67.

[25] Saxenian, A. and Hsu, J.-Y. (2001) ‘The Silicon Valley-Hsinchu connection: technical communities and industrial upgrading’, Industrial and Corporate Change, 10, 4, pp.893–920.

[26] Saxenian, A. (2005) ‘From brain drain to brain-circulation: transnational communities and regional upgrading in China and India’, Studies in Comparative International Development, 40, 2, pp.35–61.

[27] Sewell, W. (1992) ‘A theory of structure: duality, agency and transformation’, American Journal of Sociology, 98, 1, pp.1–29.

[28] Schutz, A. (1953) ‘Common sense and scientific interpretation of human action’, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, September, pp.1–37.

[29] Tsoukas, H. (1996) ‘The firm as a distributed knowledge system: a constructionist approach’, Strategic Management Journal, 17, S2, pp.11–25.

[30] Vygotsky, L. (1978) Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes, Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA.

[31] Wenger, E. (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

[32] Williams, A. (2007) ‘International labour migration and tacit knowledge transactions: a multi-level perspective’, Global Networks, 7, 1, pp.29–50.