ABSTRACT
In this era of knowledge-based work, it is well known that collaboration is one key to successful outcomes. For over a decade it has become obvious that, “Virtuoso individuals and commanding CEOs cannot operate effectively without teamwork and production networks. Collaboration has become the name of the game” (Smith 1995, xxi). It is also clear that in addition to adding economic value (Warsh 2006), knowledge workers pose challenges to conventional management wisdom and organizing principles, not only because of their mobility and dispersal, but because less is known about how to supervise, control, and evaluate them. The interdependence and complexity of knowledge work requires workers to collaborate effectively with others in “different functions, physical locations, time zones, and even organizations” (Davenport 2005, 12). In organized settings, where what one knows and what one makes sense out of (Weick 1995) and then applies it to ever-changing challenges, the key is knowledge-“a fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual information, and expert insight that provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information” (Davenport and Prusak 2000, 5).
