From group-based work to organisational learning: the role of communication forms and knowledge sharing

This paper examines the role of group-based work as a knowledge sharing mechanism in fostering organisational learning. Relying on insights from communication research, the paper develops a set of propositions highlighting the role of communication forms in mediating the effect of group-based work on knowledge sharing. Our view on group-based work is grounded in the philosophical perspective on organisational learning as occurring through interaction. This perspective emphasises the role of communication as the foundational basis for knowledge sharing and learning. Group-based work structures communication and creates conditions for sharing knowledge among organisational members. Drawing on cultural psychology research that reveals that people from different cultures have different cognitive styles and, thus, process and interpret information differently, the paper proposes a link between cognitive styles and preferences for different communication forms. It suggests that effectiveness of knowledge sharing in group-based work depends on whether the latter supports culturally preferred communication forms.

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