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The role of knowledge complexity in administration–society collaborations on knowledge: Theory-building from social movement and knowledge management theories

Vadym Pyrozhenko (University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan, USA)

International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior

ISSN: 1093-4537

Article publication date: 12 November 2018

267

Abstract

Purpose

This paper engaged in theory-building from social movement and knowledge management (KM) theories and applied the case study method to explore the role of knowledge complexity in administration–society collaborations on knowledge. Complex knowledge is a kind of knowledge that consists of many interdependent elements, some of which are tacit. Complex knowledge creates challenges when external social groups attempt to transfer their knowledge to public organizations. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the following question: how do social groups acting as knowledge agents transfer their knowledge if it is complex?

Design/methodology/approach

A single-case study methodology informs the theory-building in this paper. The paper examined a case of collaboration between the natural childbirthing social movement and state maternity hospitals in Russia and Ukraine. The case was constructed from interviews, primary sources and secondary sources.

Findings

Social movement and KM theories were used in a case analysis to formulate theoretical propositions about the complexity of social movement knowledge, why and how movements transfer their knowledge through collaborations with the state, and how administrators assess movement knowledge and its transfer. The case suggests that administrators’ lack of capacity to recognize and deal with complex knowledge results in the underutilization of social groups’ knowledge. In particular, administrators treat complex knowledge as simple, and they misunderstand and underestimate its effects on collaboration.

Originality/value

To the best of this author’s knowledge, this paper is the first attempt in public administration to engage in theory-building from social movement and KM theories.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The author would like to the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments, which helped me to improve this manuscript.

Citation

Pyrozhenko, V. (2018), "The role of knowledge complexity in administration–society collaborations on knowledge: Theory-building from social movement and knowledge management theories", International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, Vol. 21 No. 4, pp. 275-294. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-03-2018-0022

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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