KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT : TAKING POWER DYNAMICS SERIOUSLY

This paper deals with knowledge management both as a practice and as a concept. We argue that both practitioners and academics have dismissed the issue of power too quickly. One may summarize the prevailing discourse on power within the context of KM the following way: 'Yes, knowledge is power, but shared knowledge is more power'. We posit that knowledge flow is fundamentally embedded in power relations. However, using the organizational sociology of M. Crozier and E. Friedberg, we posit that power dynamics play a dual role in knowledge management as both a barrier and an enabler. We report a study undertaken in a large multi-national consultancy firm using the above approach. The study contrasts three entities: a quality and method department, a central KM unit and a community of practice of IT architects. Preliminary findings point toward a tight coupling between the social structure induced by dynamics of power and knowledge flow within the organization.