The Patchwork of Knowledge Management A qualitative study on how Knowledge Management is understood in the professional context of Swedish business law firms

摘要

This paper investigates how the Knowledge Management (KM) phenomenon is understood inthe field of business law firms in Sweden, by focusing on KM professionals and practitionersacross hierarchical levels. The study uses a qualitative method and examines how fourbusiness law firms as well as one KM consulting firm perceive the management phenomenaof KM within their highly institutionalized field. Field material has been collected byconducting 22 interviews with respondents at the five different firms. This paper uses thetheoretical framework of institutional theory and institutional logics to analyze the data, andthe main findings show that there is one emerging KM logic within the field of business lawfirms in Sweden. In addition, the study identifies a number of tensions regarding how KM isunderstood in relation to professionalism and KM practices. Thus, this paper provides newinsights in the following three areas; the ambiguity of practices KM accounts for in businesslaw firms, the role of professions in assimilating an emerging management concept such asKM, and the importance of networks and collectivism in imitating processes acrossinstitutional levels. The paper may inspire to a continued discussion on KM and its patchworkwithin professional service firms.