Game structure in knowledge co-creation

The importance of creating, refining and distributing knowledge has become a key topic in the 21st century as knowledge work is becoming more commonplace. In order to respond to increasing needs for managing knowledge and knowledge creation, a number of models and methods have been developed. Methods for supporting knowledge creation are especially needed at the boundaries of different organizations where the differences between backgrounds and practices act both as a barrier to and as a source of new knowledge. This thesis studies the use of game structure in knowledge co-creation. This thesis develops new theoretical understanding on how game structure affects knowledge co-creation and how objects of collaboration act as elements of knowledge co-creation games. This thesis also provides a set of guidelines for developing games to better support knowledge co-creation. In its theoretical framework, this thesis combines organizational and learning sciences to form a multidisciplinary approach to knowledge co-creation. The framework is complemented with the theories of mediating objects of collaboration and the use of serious games in learning and design. The empirical case study of this thesis examines a knowledge co-creation game for planning service co-development projects. Two instances of playing the game in inter-organizational and intra-organizational contexts are researched. The two instances of gameplay are video recorded and analyzed using interaction analysis to identify how game structure supports knowledge co-creation. The results of this thesis suggest that game structure supports knowledge co-creation by providing structure for the interaction between players and also by providing the players with shared objects of collaboration that mediate knowledge co-creation. Furthermore, this thesis provides a framework for analyzing multiplayer games as activity systems by identifying the game states that the players interact with as the objects of collaboration. The game states provide a novel framework for studying collaboration in game structure.