IRMA-International.org: Creator of Knowledge
Information Resources Management Association
Advancing the Concepts & Practices of Information Resources Management in Modern Organizations

Balancing Local Knowledge Within Global Organisations Through Computer-Based Systems: An Activity Theory Approach

Balancing Local Knowledge Within Global Organisations Through Computer-Based Systems: An Activity Theory Approach
View Sample PDF
Author(s): Somya Joshi (National Technical University of Athens, Greece), Michael Barrett (University of Cambridge, UK), Geoff Walsham (University of Cambridge, UK)and Sam Cappleman (Hewlett-Packard Ltd., UK)
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 16
Source title: Handbook of Research on Information Management and the Global Landscape
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): M. Gordon Hunter (University of Lethbridge, Canada)and Felix B. Tan (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-138-4.ch005

Purchase


Abstract

This article investigates how, and with what success, global organisations design computer-based systems for knowledge sharing which aim to balance centralised and standardised approaches against more diverse local needs. The empirical basis for the article is provided by an analysis of two different global organisations, each with its own knowledge-sharing infrastructure in place. We use third-generation activity theory as the theoretical basis for our analysis. The contributions from this article are twofold. The first is our theoretical lens, where activity theory is applied to the domain of global information systems and their organisational context. This analysis provides a new approach in addressing both the mediation of and motivations behind knowledge-sharing activity. The second contribution concerns the theoretical and practical insights this gives on the problems and challenges of achieving a balance between global and local priorities within highly distributed work contexts, and the role of computerbased systems in this arena.

Related Content

Christine Kosmopoulos. © 2022. 22 pages.
Melkamu Beyene, Solomon Mekonnen Tekle, Daniel Gelaw Alemneh. © 2022. 21 pages.
Rajkumari Sofia Devi, Ch. Ibohal Singh. © 2022. 21 pages.
Ida Fajar Priyanto. © 2022. 16 pages.
Murtala Ismail Adakawa. © 2022. 27 pages.
Shimelis Getu Assefa. © 2022. 17 pages.
Angela Y. Ford, Daniel Gelaw Alemneh. © 2022. 22 pages.
Body Bottom