Title: Relational spaces for knowledge management in multinational companies

Authors: Jessica Geraldo Schwengber

Addresses: Zeppelin University, Fallenbrunnen 3, 88045 Friedrichshafen, Germany

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the concept of relational spaces for the management of local knowledge in multinational companies (MNCs). The elaboration aims to contribute to the existing knowledge management (KM) literature by providing a thin-thick knowledge framework based on the concepts of communities of practice (CoP), socio-categorisation theory, and shared intentionality theory. The paper combines theory building and case study methodology. Theory building refers to the elaboration of the knowledge framework. The case study methodology aims to empirically explore the framework. The case study provides concrete examples of how thin concepts (such as organisational strategy) are thickened at the local level and how best practices shared in the global community should then be thickened again.

Keywords: knowledge management; multinational companies; MNCs; relational spaces; communities of practice; CoP; knowledge economy; knowledge framework; case study; relational economics.

DOI: 10.1504/IJKMS.2025.147946

International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies, 2025 Vol.16 No.2, pp.154 - 177

Accepted: 18 Apr 2025
Published online: 11 Aug 2025 *

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