Expert Humans or Expert Organizations?

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Abstract
Technological change can help to enhance an organization's knowledge base by facilitating communication and information flows. Changing communication and information flows, however, also creates appropriation opportunities for organizational sub-groups. Drawing empirical cases from the ESRC/DTI `New Technologies and the Firm' initiative, we put forward a theoretical framework for the analysis of potential appropriation problems and mechanisms for addressing them. If these mechanisms succeed, organizations can be seen as `expert'; i.e. knowledge flows are under the organization's control. If not, organizations may well employ `expert humans' but are unlikely to fully benefit from their knowledge. We suggest that expert organizations should prioritize the continuity of their knowledge base. Such a strategy not only carefully controls for the flow of personnel, but also avoids undue dependence on external knowledge suppliers.