Knowledge creation and sharing in an organization: An empirical analysis of the New Product Development process

This thesis aims at understanding knowledge creation and sharing as a contemporary phenomenon in a specific organization of the Translation and Localization industry in Finland, with a key emphasis on the New Product Development (NPD) process. The thesis aims at pinpointing the areas where change is needed, and provide strategic solutions to support such change. The area of study focuses on the Translation and Localization business unit of the target organization, since this organization provides other services in addition to the translation and localization ones. \n \nThe thesis presents an overview of the concept of knowledge and its dichotomies from the epistemological and ontological point of view. The knowledge creation (KC) process and the NPD process are described and a conceptual framework is formulated explaining knowledge creation and sharing in the NPD process. The conceptual framework introduces knowledge creation in the NPD process as occurring in a shared context – Ba, via a modified SECI process which takes into account the embodied tacit and not-yet-embodied tacit knowledge, using knowledge assets (KA) that reflect the organizational culture. \n \nThe thesis pinpoints that the original SECI process cannot be applied successfully in the NPD process without deconstructing the concept of tacit knowledge and analyzing its constituents, the not-yet embodied tacit knowledge and embodied-tacit, which are key ingredients to the development of new products and to the organizational innovation process itself. It also shows that the knowledge creation and sharing process in the business unit of the target organization bears the features of knowledge creation and sharing given in the conceptual framework and also pinpoints several knowledge-related issues in the case organization. \n \nThe empirical data gathered and analyzed from the interviews, the survey and personal fieldwork observations show the need for a clearly defined knowledge creation strategy named Knowledge Translation for the target organization within the T&L business unit, which needs to be implemented according to a specific implementation plan. By targeting the knowledge-related issues of the T&L business unit, this strategy targets also the NPD process which is embedded in the T&L business unit. Such strategy implementation choice relies on the practical aspects of organizational management, with its constant demand for solid real-time solutions within a time frame limit needed to define resources and visualize results.