A Sensemaking Model of Knowledge in Organizations -Theoretical Foundations

摘要

The objective of the paper is to propose a sensemaking model of knowledge in organizations that identifies different types of knowledge at four sensemaking levels: ⅰ) personal knowledge at the intra-subjective level of an individual; ⅱ) collective knowledge at the inter-subjective level; ⅲ) organizational knowledge at the generic-subjective level; and iv) know/edge embedded in culture at the extra-subjective level. Characteristics of each knowledge type are described, together with the ways knowledge is continuously (re)produced and used ut a particular sensemaking level as well as constituted by knowledge types from other levels. The paper briefly refers to the application of the model in two empirical studies of knowledge management which demonstrated its relevance in practice and from which new research questions have been raised.