Knowledge Integration

In most organizations, specialized knowledge is dispersed over organization members (Tsoukas, 1996). Organization members have different educational backgrounds and working experiences and develop different perspectives. Yet, the development and production of complex goods and services normally requires the application of multiple disciplines and perspectives. Therefore, the integration of knowledge is an important task for managers and other organization members (Carlile, 2002; De Boer, Van den Bosch, & Volberda, 1999; Galunic & Rodan, 1998; Grant, 1996a, 1996b; Kogut & Zander, 1992; Okhuysen & Eisenhardt, 2002; Ravasi & Verona, 2000).