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Situated Knowledge and Learning in Dispersed Teams[Note 1. We wish to thank Fernando Olivera and two anonymous ...]
Author(s) -
Sole Deborah,
Edmondson Amy
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
british journal of management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.407
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1467-8551
pISSN - 1045-3172
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8551.13.s2.3
Subject(s) - situated , locale (computer software) , situated learning , construct (python library) , knowledge management , resource (disambiguation) , process (computing) , work (physics) , computer science , psychology , mathematics education , engineering , artificial intelligence , mechanical engineering , computer network , programming language , operating system
This qualitative field study explores how geographically dispersed teams learn and accomplish challenging work by drawing on knowledge situated in the multiple physical locales they span. We propose the construct of situated knowledge as important for understanding the learning process in dispersed teams. Data collected on seven development projects, each spanning multiple sites, reveal that situated knowledge is at the same time a valuable resource and a source of communication difficulty for dispersed teams. We find that, because their members understand and participate in locale–specific practices, dispersed teams can easily access and use unique locale–specific knowledge resources to resolve problems that arise in those same locales. However, when dispersed teams need knowledge situated at a site other than where the problem occurred, they must first recognize and adjust for locale–specific practices within which that knowledge is embedded before they can use it. The paper reports on analyses of 44 learning episodes that involved identifying and engaging situated knowledge, and draws from these data to identify implications for research and practice.