Title: ICT as a mechanism for sharing intra-organisational knowledge: case study of the application of the GURU-IT platform

Authors: Mário Franco; João Pissarra

Addresses: Management and Economics Department, NECE - Research Unit, University of Beira Interior, Estrada do Sineiro, 6200-209 Covilhã, Portugal. ' University of Beira Interior, Quinta da Tapada Freire, 6300-126 Maçainhas, Guarda, Portugal

Abstract: Use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in knowledge transfer is one of the principal aspects to take into consideration in this century. The main objective of this study is to understand the importance of ICT in a Portuguese firm in the area of information systems, through application of a platform to share intra-organisational knowledge. Therefore, to attain this objective, the results obtained from an exploratory case study based on a sample of 204 collaborators in the firm selected are presented. From these results, the study concludes that to evaluate the importance of ICT in knowledge transfer, managers should consider four main dimensions: 1) collaborative atmosphere; 2) available knowledge; 3) capitalisation of knowledge; 4) organisational learning. Thus, this study contributes to the literature and the interface between ICT and knowledge transfer. Several implications are also presented.

Keywords: information and communications technologies; ICT; information technology; knowledge transfer; organisational learning; case study; Portugal; intra-organisational knowledge; knowledge sharing; information systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJITM.2012.049994

International Journal of Information Technology and Management, 2012 Vol.11 No.4, pp.288 - 306

Received: 03 Dec 2010
Accepted: 21 Sep 2011
Published online: 09 Aug 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article