About the Managing Knowledge Spaces Research Project

The Knowledge Spaces Tool is the product of Managing Knowledge Spaces, a two-year research project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (GR/R54132/01). This project was conducted jointly by CENTRIM, the Centre for Research in Innovation Management at the University of Brighton and Innovation Studies Centre, Imperial College London. The project was funded under a programme called Learning Across Business Sectors and involves a variety of industrial partners.

Outputs and activities

List

Partners

Managing Knowledge Spaces: Mapping the Effects of Dispersed Teamworking on Project Performance

Context

The rationale for the research project was that managers in industry had no framework showing the effects of different spatial arrangements on project teams. The virtual team model claimed that spatially dispersed individuals could work together effectively, through using the expanding capabilities of network technology. By contrast, recent work on knowledge management (KM) increasingly stressed the importance of co-location, for a shared context between team members through which they can communicate. While the debate was jammed, managers designing teams needed to better understand the effects of spatial decisions firstly, on how teams manage knowledge, and secondly the consequences for project performance.

Aims and Objectives

The ultimate objective of the research was to advance knowledge and understanding of the effects of spatial decisions and thereby to improve the effectiveness of users in industry. Specifically, our aims were:

• to research and compare the knowledge management processes of project teams working in different spatial configurations from virtual organisation to co-location
• to develop indicators to assess effects on project performance
• to develop a diagnostic tool that will help managers to quickly understand the ramifications of differing project team designs and associated KM processes, for project performance in different industrial contexts.

Method

The method involved three tasks: first, close observation and interviewing of project teams in their spatial contexts to identify the KM practices; second, the design and implementation of a project survey to assess the effects on performance; third, the development of a diagnostic tool. Each stage was refined and validated by workshops with the project's industrial partners.

Benefits

When designing teams, managers and team leaders using the diagnostic tool will be able to evaluate systematically firstly, the informal and formal practices associated with different spatial configurations, and secondly, the expected impact of these on project performance. The structural constraints around dispersed teamworking are shown, while revealing the scope for control and intervention. The effects of introducing organisational practices, tools and technologies are made explicit and grounded in real-world observation. The results of the research will be disseminated through industry associations, networks, practitioner press and conferences, as well as academe.

The project involved more detailed research in the partner organisations that was not costly or excessively time-consuming. If you have found the tool useful and would like to explore opportunities for more substantial research within your own organisation then contact us.