Knowledge Sharing in Professions: Roles and Identity in Expert Communities

Citation

Keary, M. (2012), "Knowledge Sharing in Professions: Roles and Identity in Expert Communities", Online Information Review, Vol. 36 No. 5, pp. 769-770. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684521211276046

The author seeks to find a deeper understanding of what knowledge sharing means in professions, and uses case studies to illustrate distinct approaches to this. Styhre investigates whether an intimate relationship exists among members of a professional community through mutual exchange of information, thus making professionalism a form of systematic and institutionalised knowledge sharing. The concepts of knowledge management, management, and their links with professionalism are thoroughly examined.

Chapter 1 discusses concepts of practice and theories in the way that professionals produce and share knowledge at work, their credentials and entry barriers. Chapter 2 investigates resources used in professional knowledge sharing – mathematical formulae, statistics, visual media and embodied forms of communication – and how the skilled professional is trained to use these resources.

The first case study describes the work of clinical trial researchers in the pharmaceutical industry, who rely on extensive sharing of information and knowledge, which is influenced by organisational politics and decision‐making procedures. As innovators, they must make many new decisions and choices, and these require a range of coping strategies.

Management consultants work individually and prove their worth on the basis of actual or perceived performance, either in direct consultation work with the client, or in delivering management training programmes. Their work switches from “adviser” to that of “expert” with different roles, skill sets and methods. A literature review examines the concept of identity and ambiguities surrounding their work.

Knowledge sharing by architects is rather different. They balance interests and needs of stakeholders who contribute to the process of new building design or the constructed environment; work is collaborative and based on the joint formulation of problems, challenges, opportunities and articulations of possible solutions and choices. Architects have multiple roles and competencies and must balance economic, aesthetic and user‐oriented objectives in the design of a building.

A comparison of the three professions shows that pharmaceutical scientists struggle to collect, store and analyse clinical data, and to remain updated on organisational politics and decision‐making procedures from all levels. Management consultants tend to work on their own, developing their own unique set of skills and competencies and maintaining their own stock of clients. The shared domain of discussion and joint learning is limited to a few areas for open communication. Architects work in close collaboration with building engineers and stakeholders to maintain professional standards and share information, inspiration photos and records of site visits to built architecture.

The three professions operate in institutional and economic settings that are quite diverse, but all share the need for continuous exchange of ideas and know‐how to maintain their role, position and status over time. Contact with their peers and the sharing of knowledge is at the very heart of professionalism, and they maintain their social position on the basis of their collaborative efforts. The book brings some fresh thinking to the concepts of knowledge, professionalism, managerial techniques and methods, and points the way for more in‐depth research into knowledge sharing.