Communities of management knowledge diffusion

Abstract

A Communities of Practice approach is used to unravel the actions and activities that facilitate the diffusion of management knowledge among organizations. In so doing, the local embedded nature of knowledge is recognized, as is the manner in which interactions between the general and the specific provide a creative dynamic that facilitates the widespread diffusion and a multiple creation of knowledge. Knowledge interactions are explored in terms of boundary processes involving interactions between management gurus, management consultants, business schools/management academics, managers and business media. Moreover, by making a clear distinction between implicit management knowledge and management ideas and techniques, important differences between the communities engaged in the diffusion of management knowledge are revealed.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments, Stuart Macdonald for his editorial guidance, and Timothy Clark for his insights into the management consultancy sector and management gurus.