Narrating Your Work: an approach to supporting knowledge sharing in virtual teams

Abstract

We propose an approach to enhancing knowledge sharing and connectedness in distributed teams. Termed ‘Narrating Your Work’ (NYW), the approach involves members of distributed team using a microblogging tool to post regular updates about their current work, accomplishments, and issues. The NYW approach was evaluated within a geographically and temporally distributed team at Shell International for a period of one month, using a mixed-method research design. Methodology comprised of a quantitative survey, followed by semi-structured interviews and analysis of microblogging updates posted during the month in which the approach was being trialled. The evaluation results suggest that NYW was viewed as a valid and practical approach to enhancing knowledge sharing and connectedness. A range of barriers and enablers that could impact the future application and embedding of the approach are identified and recommendations for implementation are outlined.

Keywords:

• knowledge sharing
• narrative approaches
• organisational learning
• networks
• distributed teams
• microblogging

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank colleagues at Shell International for their participation in the study. The authors are grateful to Mrs. Jennifer Watson (Glasgow Caledonian University) for proofreading the manuscript.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anoush Margaryan

About the authors

Anoush Margaryan is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in the Caledonian Academy, Glasgow Caledonian University. She studies how people learn at work and how they use digital technology to support their learning. She has over 100 publications in technology-enhanced professional learning. Her most recent book Technology-Enhanced Professional Learning: Processes, Practices and Tools was published by Routledge in November 2013. Further details at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/academy/people/anoush-margaryan/.

Eleni Boursinou

Eleni Boursinou is a Ph.D. student in the Caledonian Academy, Glasgow Caledonian University. She studies the role of technology-mediated networks in learning. Her research interests include learning and change processes in organisations and communities.

Dane Lukic

Dane Lukic is a Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at Glasgow School of Business and Society, Glasgow Caledonian University. Dane’s research interests include organisational and workplace learning, lifelong and lifewide learning, intercultural competence, intersectoral and interdisciplinary research.

Hans de Zwart

Hans de Zwart is Director of the Dutch digital civil rights organization Bits of Freedom and an independent educational strategist. In the past he was Shell’s Senior Innovation Adviser for Global HR and Learning Technologies. He operates on the intersections between technology (which he prefers to be ‘open’), civil society, innovation and education. Further details at http://blog.hansdezwart.info/bio/.