Cultural impacts on knowledge sharing: empirical data from EU project collaboration
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/03055721011071476 |
| Published date | 17 August 2010 |
| Date | 17 August 2010 |
| Pages | 376-389 |
| Author | Kerstin V. Siakas,Elli Georgiadou,Bo Balstrup |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
Cultural impacts on knowledge
sharing: empirical data from EU
project collaboration
Kerstin V. Siakas
Department of Informatics, Alexander Technological Educational Institution of
Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Elli Georgiadou
School of Engineering and Information Sciences, University of Middlesex,
London, UK, and
Bo Balstrup
Center for Software Innovation, Sonderborg, Denmark
Abstract
Purpose – EU-sponsored lifelong learning projects involve a variety of experts of diverse cultural,
organisational, and professional backgrounds connected together in one project with time and money
constraints. The members of the consortium, often unknown to one another from the beginning, come
together for a specific period of time to accomplish certain distinctive objectives. A special
knowledge-sharing strategy is needed in order to incorporate culturally diverse values, and to
overcome the technical difficulties of dispersion and limited access to informal communication. This
paper aims to explore the way in which EU projects appreciate diverse cultural (national,
organisational, and professional) influences on knowledge sharing in project-based collaboration.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on longitudinal studies, own multicultural
experiences and earlier conceptually grounded arguments regarding cultural complexities to
knowledge sharing in project environments. The key cultural issues highlighted here were empirically
tested through a survey in the context of knowledge sharing in several EU lifelong learning projects.
Finally, the paper discusses the implications of dealing with cultural issues in fostering good
knowledge-sharing practices within dispersed projects.
Findings – It is apparent that culture has a most significant influence on the knowledge-sharing
capability of time- and money-restricted dispersed projects. Cultural awareness and the use of new
information and communication (ICT) tools, such as web 2.0, are factors supporting knowledge
sharing.
Originality/value – Previous studies have not examined knowledge sharing in EU projects. The
paper aims to help practitioners and academics, who participate in EU projects, to recognise that the
different EU project team members usually are dispersed in terms of geography, expertise and
working methods and to understand that diverse cultural values (national, organisational and
professional) can be a competitive advantage. As a result of gaining such understanding it is expected
that EU project performance will improve if diversities are handled in a proper manner and if in
addition web 2.0 is used as a communication and sharing platform to enable increased knowledge
sharing, interactive participation and digital democracy in practice.
Keywords Culture, Knowledgemanagement, Worldwide web, EuropeanUnion, Knowledge sharing
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
In Europe lifelong learning programmes sponsored by the European Union are
increasingly being considered as projects that involve interdisciplinary cooperation
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
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VINE
40,3/4
376
VINE: The journal of information and
knowledge management systems
Vol. 40 No. 3/4, 2010
pp. 376-389
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0305-5728
DOI 10.1108/03055721011071476
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