Beyond the ba: managing enabling contexts in knowledge organizations

Purpose – Looking at the practical experience of organizations pursuing knowledge management, it is found that their efforts are primarily focused on creating the conditions and the context that will enable knowledge creation. This need for developing enabling conditions and contexts was identified more than a decade ago when Nonaka and associates introduced the concept of ‘‘ba.’’ This paper aims to map the development of the concept of ‘‘ba’’ in a number of disciplines in order to understand its theoretical evolution and practical application. Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive search and evaluation of the literature resulted in a database of 135 papers, four dissertations and four books. Using content analysis, citation analysis, and concept mapping, four categories of research findings are identified that in turn suggest four groups of conditions for enabling knowledge creation. Findings – The paper discusses each of these conditions (the social/...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: JKM
• Authors: Chun Wei Choo, Rivadávia Correa Drummond de Alvarenga Neto
• Keywords: Conditions, JKM 2010, Knowledge Management, Organizations