Organisational hybridity and fluidity: deriving new strategies for dynamic knowledge management

Abstract

This article discusses the dynamics of knowledge management in the specific contexts of hybridity and organisational fluidity. The aim is to recognise areas in which knowledge management theory and practice need to be rethought and subsequently develop a new kind of strategic thinking. The article argues that dominant knowledge management approaches see and analyse the world from the perspective of an individual organisation, which hinders the development of new approaches. We consider that knowledge-based value creation takes place “betwixt and between” organisations and that we need new ways of conceptualising the phenomenon. Hence, we suggest that hybridity-oriented and individualistic knowledge strategies serve as mental models that could broaden the scope of knowledge management by offering a new type of interpretation framework for understanding and analysing how knowledge can be turned into value.