Knowledge creation and integration in project teams: a study of international telecommunications companies in Singapore

Abstract

[Abstract]: The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge-creation and integration processes of project teams in Singapore-based telecommunications companies. The study investigates how the knowledge-creation process is initiated, how project members socialize and share their tacit knowledge, the techniques or strategies that the project team uses to create concepts and methods for recording and sharing the customer proposal within the company. Twenty four interviews were conducted in six major proposal project teams from four international telecommunications companies based in Singapore. Most of the members of the proposal project team perform more than one role in the knowledge-creation process. The roles of knowledge engineer, knowledge practitioner, and knowledge integrator are critical and important in the knowledge-creation process of the proposal project team. The knowledge integration roles are performed at two levels - the overall proposal team level and the specialist sub-group or team level. The study draws upon research from knowledge management on knowledge conversion and creation to develop an enhanced model of the knowledge-creation process of project teams for developing customer proposals.