Norms and Knowledge Sharing – Problems of Multidisciplinary project cooperation

A model for shortcomings in the field of „Knowledge Sharing“ in interdisciplinary project work is presented which rests on the idea of social identity as part of self-efficacy beliefs that are guiding individual behaviour. However in project work different sets of self-efficacy are put together, due to the fact that these are mediated during any form of secondary socialisation. It is argued that Individuals are attempting to “keep face” on different, each other potentially excluding “games” that are having influence on their self-efficacy beliefs.
On a domain level, employees are challenged by the need to behave in a domain like manner in order to allow for continued integration in communication flows. This is the level that seems to be predominant up to now in the analysis of the shortcomings in project work and explanation attempts. When entering projects in the beginning each domain will bring to the front their account of the aim which has to be achieved, and thereby implicitly also suggest modes of behaviour. On an individual level, a shift is suggested in these self-efficacy beliefs that are result of the involvement in interactions with others. As such stereotypes about other domains are challenged in a continuous and systematic way. Therefore new patterns of individual “face” saving are developing which are independent of the domain, but specific for the project. These Project specific modes of behaviour are mutually re-enforcing with a process of Knowledge Integration and the resulting generation of a project internally agreed aim. This aim serves as norm generating device.
This account of norm generation on a project level raises some important question on the capabilities, and the perceived validity of management performance assessments in the eyes of project members. Reason is that these project members are engaging on purpose in a domain contradictory way and thereby achieve eventually a project aim that is important for the organisation. This problem of validity challenges can be explained by the fact that performance assessments are based on domain rationalities; rarely these have bearing for project work. Performance assessments measures are reflections of domain idiosyncratic modes of thinking and behaviour.