Summary of knowledge transformation processes at the semantic boundary 129

Data from all knowledge transformation cases at the semantic organizational boundary support the claims that knowledge transformation is initiated when an individual represents existing knowledge and some one from across the boundary assesses it by agreeing, disagreeing or asking (P1) and that when such speech acts occur subsequently, knowledge is negotiated at the organizational boundary (P2). Similarly, the argument that Initiate Negotiate Alter Create Validate Outcome

REP ASS ASK AGR DIS CLA SYN AGR

1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 Altered

represented knowledge can be assessed from across the boundary regardless of how it is represented (concrete examples vs. abstractions) was supported (P1.1). Also, a number of cases provide support for the argument that knowledge negotiation is mediated by shared thought worlds at the boundary (P2.1). Finally, individuals altered their organization-specific knowledge in all discussion cases, and therefore the argument concerning knowledge altering is supported (P3). However, knowledge was not synthesized in any of the discussion cases at the semantic organizational boundary, and thus the argument concerning new knowledge creation (P4) is not supported. Likewise, I observed transformed knowledge being agreed upon in only one case, and therefore the argument concerning knowledge validation as a cross-boundary agreement after knowledge transformation is weakly supported, at best. That I made only one observation concerning validation, however, may be due to insufficient data on the issue – in all discussion cases the facilitators ended the thematic discussions before validating would have been possible. Nonetheless, I argue that the concept of cross-boundary knowledge validation as individual-level agreement is analytically valid. In Table 17, I summarize the knowledge transformation elements in the six knowledge transformation cases at the semantic organizational boundary. This table shows which elements were present and which were absent in each case. In table 6 I also show the number of speech acts (SA) in each case, as well as the actual duration of each case. The purpose of Table 17 is to provide an overall view of the six knowledge transformation cases and their knowledge outcomes.

TABLE 17. Elements and outcomes of the Six Knowledge Transformation Cases at the Semantic Organizational Boundary

Knowledge transformation elements present and absent

Initiate Negotiate Alter Create Validate Knowledge outcome Case

No

No. of SAs

Case

Duration REP ASS ASK AGR DIS CLA SYN AGR

1 9 5 min 58 s 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 Altered

2 5 1 min 43 s 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 Altered

3 7 7 min 25s 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 Altered

4 22 9 min 1 s 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 Transferred

5 12 2 min 15 s 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 Altered

6 13 3 min 7 s 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 Altered

Total 68 29 min 29s

Table 17 does not, however, depict how each knowledge transformation process unfolded at the semantic organizational boundary. To provide a more accurate, longitudinal summary of the processes, I adopt von Hippel’s (1994:433) schematic and review the six knowledge transformation processes in Table 18. The purpose of Table 18 is to provide a graphical representation that permits “the simultaneous representation of a large number of dimensions, --- precedence, parallel processes, and the passage of time” (Langley, 1999:700) of the knowledge transformation processes as I observed them in the discussions. Table 18 shows how the six cases proceeded at the semantic organizational boundary. On top of each knowledge transformation case illustration, I show which parties are involved in the case discussion (i.e. “M-Strategist”; “E-Strategist”), and the semantic boundary that forms between them. Because my research interest of knowledge transformation across boundaries between knowledge domains, the schematic in Table 18 illustrates the parties, or knowledge domains, in question and the boundary between them. At the same time, the schematic does not show the actual number of individuals present in each discussion. While this choice of illustration leads to a loss of some information (i.e. the number of individuals discussing across the boundary), I chose this way of depicting the phenomenon because it provides a simple illustration of multiple dimensions of interest (i.e. knowledge domains present, types of speech acts uttered across the boundary, and time). In the two cases – cases 3 and 5 – that included participants from three different organizations or organizational units, I show two separate semantic boundaries separating the participants. (While in these cases there have undoubtedly been two organizational boundaries present, for the analytical purposes of this dissertation there is just one semantic boundary present.) Then, I show the discussion as proceeding from top toward the bottom, as indicated by speech act short codes (and

their combinations) and one-way downward arrows. I indicate the end of the knowledge transformation discussion with a horizontal solid line. I depict facilitators’ (indicated with an “F”) speech acts as occurring at the boundary, as the facilitators were not part of any of the organizations present at the boundary (in the two-boundary cases 3 and 5, I indicate the facilitator’s comments on top of the boundary line 1 for convenience reasons only, and the choice has no analytical significance). Finally, to enable succinct presentation of the cases, I use the short codes to represent speech acts as follows:

• AK=ask;

• R=represent;

• A=assess;

• C=clarify;

• AG=agree;

• DI=disagree;

• SY=synthesize;

TABLE 18. Six Knowledge Transformation Process Cases at the Semantic Organizational Boundary

Knowledge transformation Case 1 Knowledge transformation Case 2 Knowledge transformation Case 3

Knowledge transformation Case 4 Knowledge transformation Case 5 Knowledge transformation Case 6 S-Strategist Facilitator M-Strategist

Table 18 shows how knowledge transformation was initiated by knowledge representation and subsequent assessment in all cases. In some cases, the initiation occurred right at the beginning of the discussion (e.g. cases 1-2), while in some cases it occurred later in the discussion (case 3). Table 18 also shows how knowledge was clarified in all six cases at the semantic boundary, and thus it became altered. Table 18 illustrates also that represented knowledge was disagreed upon in only two cases (5-6).

However, knowledge was eventually agreed upon in four cases (cases 1-2 and 5-6), including the cases where knowledge was disagreed upon. Nonetheless, Table 18 also illustrates how knowledge was not synthesized in any of the six cases, and thus new knowledge was not created at any semantic boundary cases in my data.

5.3 Six Cases of Knowledge Transformation at Pragmatic Organizational Boundaries

In the following six knowledge transforming cases, the discussion participants come also from different organizations, but they depend on each other to get their jobs done. For example, how strategists from Exurban’s and Suburban’s central administrations succeed in their job depends, at least partially, on how strategists from those cities’ social service departments do their jobs. Nonetheless, different organizations have different practices, and as knowledge is embedded in practice, the actors’ knowledge at the boundary differs.

For example, my empirical data indicate that strategists from the central administrations understand the concept of strategy differently than strategists from social service departments. Moreover, strategists from different organizations perceive their role in relation to strategy-making differently. To collaborate, however, the strategists from different organizations have to jointly create new, shared knowledge at the organizational

are not aligned, the boundaries are pragmatic (Carlile, 2002; Carlile, 2004). Thus, I argue that the organizational boundaries present at the following 11 case discussions are pragmatic.