ABSTRACT
This chapter sets a stage for future research on the tension between knowledge sharing and protection in ad hoc interorganizational collaboration. Managing the tension between knowledge sharing and protection is critical for successful interorganizational collaboration, joint action, and long-term learning but is particularly challenged in volatile and virtual settings. Ad hoc collaborations bring together geographically distributed individuals with specialized knowledge to solve nonroutine and dynamically changing problems. The volatility of the ad hoc collaboration makes it impossible to predict which collaboration process, when and why it is performed, who is involved, and which support tools are used. The virtuality of the ad hoc collaboration reduces shared face-to-face experiences and makes it challenging to monitor and evaluate others’ actions. We review selected literature on interorganizational systems and interorganizational relations to identify safeguards for managing the tension between sharing and protection. We highlight that the safeguards are built on the assumption of stable and hierarchical interorganizational relations, and, thus, are questioned or challenged by the ad hoc collaborations that are volatile and virtual. Future research needs to combine multiple theoretical perspectives to account for the unique complexity of knowledge sharing and protection with volatile and virtual contexts. We also suggest possible roles for information technology.
