Title: Culturally distinctive manifestations in international knowledge management: a historical perspective

Authors: Nigel J. Holden, Carole Tansley

Addresses: Department of Strategy and Innovation, Institute of International Business, GreenDank Building, Lancashire Business School, The University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK. ' Division of Human Resource Management, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham, NG1 4BU, UK

Abstract: Knowledge Management (KM) practices are markedly influenced by country level variables that act as important filters influencing how organisational actors enact KM at micro-levels of activity. Specifically, we suggest that certain countries have a particular knowledge-sharing cultural ethos and that this is attributable to historical factors. We discuss Germany, Japan and Russia, contrasting their different national orientation to knowledge acquisition and development. The limitations of correlating national histories with knowledge-sharing behaviour are acknowledged, but we argue that particular and necessary insights are gained by doing this.

Keywords: international knowledge management; knowledge cultural dimensions; historical development; context-specific knowledge; thick knowledge; thin knowledge; culture; cross-cultural collaborative learning; knowledge sharing; Germany; Japan; Russia; knowledge acquisition; knowledge development; cultural ethos.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAMC.2007.014810

International Journal of Advanced Media and Communication, 2007 Vol.1 No.4, pp.313 - 327

Published online: 09 Aug 2007 *

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